From the Wilderness
by The-Chirping-Cat
Summary: When Sonic, Tails and Knuckles were asked to research an unexplored island, they weren't expecting much...until Sonic got kidnapped! And when he met the leader of said kidnappers (a certain, slightly feral, black-and-red hedgehog), it was the first step into Shadow's past as he insisted on following them back home...while bringing along fifty Black Arms too!
1. Chapter 1

**Behold! A second story! This is something I'm doing to stop myself from burning out too fast on one story (I'm already starting to burn low, so start expecting a hiatus soon...I'm sorry for that!) This time, we're diving into a fanfic with one of my OTPs~ some good old Sonadow! I swear, I just have a tendency to ship the main character with the badass characters! Hero and Anti-Hero!  
**

 **Now, despite all things considered, the very beginning idea is actually inspired by a movie of a certain princess being washed up on an island where she made friends with a certain group of animals (consisting of a red panda, elephant and peacock). And despite said movie being very PG, this...isn't quite as much of sunshine and rainbows as the movie. All characters will also be mostly in character (if they are starting to drift into the princess land, please let me know!).**

 **Also, this is NOT A PARODY! I just got the starting spark from the movie and set out to create something with only a few similarities to the movie and the rest changed drastically to fit the Sonic world.**

 **With that said, please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the Sonic cast.**

 **UPDATE 23/11/2018: I decided to change some things because of the trouble I was having with planning the next chapter (and Shadow's past). Sorry for the inconvenience!**

* * *

Chapter 1

"Man Tails, this island looks amazing!"

Sonic took in the sight of the beautiful emerald jewel of an island, appreciating its verdant shade, the pale white sandy beaches and the blue shade of the shallow waves splashing against the shore (he did not appreciate the water, but he did appreciate the color). Tilting his head up, the image was completed by the clear sky, colored a blue nearly as deep as his fur. All in all, it was a fantastic place for a possible vacation.

As if hearing his thoughts, Tails warned, "We're not here for a vacation Sonic. The president wants us to do not just exploring, but also proper research. Who knows, there might be undiscovered species here, and it's our job to find and study them."

"Our job? When did it become our job?" the third member of their group huffed from his place on the other wing of the X-Tornado. "When did the president become our boss anyway?"

"Oh lighten up Knuckles! Where's your sense of adventure? Besides, this is a good chance to explore! This is an island that no one has ever seen after all," Sonic replied with an excited grin. "Hey Tails, can I jump off now?"

"Go ahead Sonic! I'll call you back when we finished setting up the campsite," Tails sighed in fond exasperation at Sonic's impatience. "You got your communicator, right?"

"You betcha!" Sonic gave the two-tailed fox a thumbs up. "Well then...GERONIMO!"

Whooping, he leapt off the wing, falling towards the massive jungle below. With his arms and legs spread out, the wind blowing in his face and the dropping sensation of a free fall, Sonic could not help but enjoy the adrenaline rush. _'I'll never get tired of this!'_ he thought as he quickly approached the canopy.

Curling up into a ball, he crashed through the top branches. The impact only slightly jarred him, his quills taking the brunt of the damage. Then, he uncurled and reached out for a large thick branch to swing himself up on it. His grin only widened when he saw that the branches of the overgrown jungle were long and intertwined, acting like rails to grind on. And that was just what he did.

Unbeknownst to him, his actions did not go unnoticed. Surprised and intrigued eyes watched the display as the blue hedgehog glided by. The owner watched until the blue fur disappeared from the line of sight before clambering down the tree, running back to her home to inform her pack of this new intruder...

* * *

 **"Sonic, are you there?"**

"Yeah, Tails. Hear you loud and clear," Sonic replied to the communicator.

 **"We finished making the campsi-"**

 **"YOU SHOULD HAVE HELPED US INSTEAD OF RUNNING OFF, HEDGEHOG!"**

Sonic grinned sheepishly, even though it couldn't be seen by the communicator. "Don't get your dreadlocks in a twist, Knux! Think of me running off as...surveying the place! I gotta tell you, the jungle's huge! But there are no obstacles or traps like in the Zones, and I haven't seen any strange creatures yet. Just some non-mobians."

 **"Great! I'll head over soon! Just let me grab my gear..."**

 **"Wait, what about-?!"**

The communicator went silent, leaving Knuckles' sentence unfinished. Sonic raised an eyebrow and shrugged, placing the communicator back into his quills. Just as his hand left his quills, there was a rustle.

And something told him that it wasn't just another non-mobian animal.

Also, when did it get so quiet?

"...Who's there?"

There was a pause...

Before pandemonium broke out.

* * *

Sonic's quills bristled, his emerald eyes darting frantically.

Backed into a corner. Surrounded on all sides by more of these alien creatures than he was comfortable with. No escape in sight, not with Tails, who arrived just in the midst of battle, knocked out. Not with his own injuries rendering him incapable of speeding past the literal barrier of red-streaked black with teeth-filled maws.

 _'Just how many of them are there?!'_ Sonic inwardly groaned, having already taken down a dozen of these creatures. Yet, it seemed there was no end to the huge horde.

The beasts' growls and snarls continued as they stalked closer, snapping their jaws in excitement at the prospect of having cornered their strong and elusive prey. Sonic could only glare back, raising his quills as much as he could to make himself appear bigger. _'Tails is knocked out...but I think we can get through with this. The Power Ring...it should be charged by now...'_

 _'If only I could grab it...'_ he thought, glancing at the tossed-away bag from the corner of his eye. While he was fast, the aliens would be upon him were he to make a sudden move. _'If only Tails was awake...he's much closer to it than I am.'_

The aliens were closing in. Sonic's decision-making time was running out!

 _'That's it! I'm not waiting any longer!'_

Sonic took a few breaths, ready to endure the pain and try to make a grab for the Ring and Tails. He closed his eyes and relaxed his stance. The change was enough to grab the predators' attention and they growled louder.

A smirk grew on the peach-furred muzzle. "Sorry guys... But we ain't gonna be your meal today!" With those words, Sonic lunged.

The movement sent the entire group into a frenzy. The aliens charged, jaws wide and claws bared. Sonic gritted his teeth as he ignored his body's warnings and dove for the ground, sliding under the aliens and reaching for the Ring.

"Enough!"

The verbal command caught all of their attention. It would have been comedic to an outsider, seeing the sight of all the fearsome beasts freezing in unison amidst their actions. Heads turned in the direction of the voice, to see another being stalking towards them. While having the same color scheme as them, their leader, their alpha, looked vastly different.

But there was no mistaking the garnet eyes glaring at them or the commanding aura of power and confidence around him. The creatures immediately issued a submissive posture, noticing that their leader was not too pleased.

Of course, Sonic on the other hand, had a vastly different reaction as he scrambled up to stand wobbly.

 _'A hedgehog mobian?!'_

The hero in him wanted to call out, telling the other to back away because these beasts were more likely to rip someone to shreds. But the quick-thinker in him took note of the creatures' reactions to the hedgehog. _'Why... They are listening to him! And...sort of bowing, as if...'_ Realization struck Sonic as his confusion turned to caution. _'If he's their boss...'_ That automatically made him the guy to watch out for.

One of the black beasts, slightly larger than the rest, growled softly as the black hedgehog stood in front of him. A few seconds of constant quiet growls passed before the black hedgehog raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" he hummed to himself before turning his attention to the blue hedgehog. Quills stiffened and raised at the intense stare the hero got. "...Head back to the den."

That elicited surprise from the rest of the creatures. As if noticing the response, the hedgehog continue, "I will deal with this...intruder. For now, do not make contact with the red one and head back to the den."

The black creatures let out a trill-like rumble before following his orders. They all retreated back into the leafy arms of the jungle, their dark hides disappearing into the shadows.

Once they were all gone, the leader turned back to Sonic. "Now, I have questions for you," he began, stalking closer. His longer legs and slightly broader physique allowed him to tower over the smaller hedgehog in hopes of asserting dominance. "And you will answer them, or else..."

Sonic gave the hedgehog a challenging smirk in reply. "Or else?" he repeated. "Or else I'll do this!"

His hand closed its grip around the Power Ring, and a bright flash of light temporarily blinded the other.

Relief (from both the pain and the worry) and victory filled Sonic's veins, just like the power that was flowing from the coveted Ring. A blue blur replaced his figure as he turned and snatched Tails up in his arms before risking a sudden acceleration to race right up the stone wall they were once cornered in.

The black hedgehog growled as he opened his eyes, but it was too late. The blue blur was already streaking out of the jungle.

 _'He will not get away...'_ the black hedgehog thought with a smirk. _'So, he wishes to challenge me? Well then...challenge accepted.'_

 _'And I INTEND to win. I will finally have the answers to my past.'_

* * *

"Tails...Tails are you alright?"

The yellow-furred fox groaned as he finally woke up. Bleary blue eyes took in a fuzzy red shape looming over him, and the color sent him jolting in panic.

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy there! It's just me!" a familiar voice whispered quickly as white-gloved hands reached over to gently place Tails back onto the bed. The kit's ears twitched and recognition flashed in his eyes.

"K-Knuckles?" he whispered as the fuzziness disappeared, revealing the familiar echidna he knew. "Knuckles...that means we're back at the campsite..." Shoulders slumped in relief. "Thank Chaos...that means we got away from those creatures... But...wait, where's Sonic?!"

"He's alright," Knuckles gave a swift reply, not wanting the kit to go into an overprotective mode for his older brother (in all but blood). "He ran to the campsite, carrying you and your bag. He...he was in a pretty bad shape. He used the Power Ring, but by his injuries, I see that he used it after he got them."

Tails grimaced at the reminder. "Yeah... He didn't want to use it so soon, not with how long it takes to recharge the Rings. He..." Memories came back and Tails muttered them out loud, "He fought those things...for a long time. They have such strength and endurance, that it takes quite a bit to take one down. I...I got knocked out in the fight..."

"Don't worry Tails," Knuckles reassured the dazed kit. "The thing that matters is that you both are alive. Sonic will heal; it will take a while, but he'll come through. That hedgehog's faced worse injuries than those bruises, cuts and fractures."

"Are those the injuries he had?"

"And exhaustion. He strained himself too far."

Tails huffed, but he wasn't quite surprised. In Sonic's list of words, 'defeat', 'surrender' and 'give up' didn't exist. And the fox was grateful for it either way. Without Sonic's bull-headed stubborness, they probably would have ended up as monster chow.

"Tails, what's our next move?"

Knuckles' question brought him back to another important topic to discuss. They hadn't quite completed the research on the island just yet, but with Sonic out of commission for the moment, Tails was wary. He did not want to run into those creatures again, not when they attacked in hordes like that. Knuckles was strong, and his endurance was much greater than Sonic's, but even he would fall under the onslaught...

But the research...

"We should move back to the plane. It's closer to the shore and much safer there. This campsite doesn't exactly have the defenses we need. Maybe a few days to recover, then we'll continue on the research," Tails hummed. "But, we'll be ready to escape at all costs... We can't risk our lives, not with those creatures out and about."

Knuckles frowned, but he didn't say anything. The plan was as solid as it could be while taking into account of the research and Sonic, but he still thought that it would be best if they recovered AWAY from the island...

A wince on the fox kit's face brought him back to the situation. "Get some more rest. I'll keep watch for the afternoon," Knuckles told him. Tails didn't have enough energy to protest, so back he went into slumber...

* * *

The night on the unnamed island was just as noisy as it was in the day. Only this time, it was the nocturnal creatures' hours as they chattered, yipped and squawked.

The black creatures from the day were like shadows as they stalked through the trees. Without the frenzy of the hunt, they were quieter, tamer as the only noise they made were purring growls and the soft thumps of their footsteps. The huge pack was gathering around their den site, where their leader stood, his second-in-command flanking him.

Once all of the pack had arrived, some of the creatures at the front hissed, one after the other. Their leader counted the hisses, pleased to see that all seven sub-packs had arrived. "Spread out," he ordered. "Make sure to check every inch of the island. Leave nowhere untouched. Find the blue one and bring him to the den. Do not let anything stand in your way."

The second-in-command helped spread the message, using a combination of barks and growls. The black creatures hissed in acknowledgement before slipping away. The seven sub-leaders headed in different directions, followed by the others.

When they were all gone, the second-in-command turned to their leader. "What about you?"

"I'll join the hunt, and I need you to stay here to watch over the pups Red-Tail," Shadow replied. "The females are still not used to watching over them, even though it has been several years."

"You did change a lot of our society," Red-Tail pointed out, his namesake twitching behind him. "Give them time. There is no rush. Our pack has grown to its current glory, thanks to your efforts and changes... But I am curious. Why the interest in the blue male? Why the interest in them?"

"Don't you see?" Shadow's eyes stared off into the distance. "He looks quite similar to me..."

"Not to me. His appearance is quite different. He's smaller, of a different color, of a different scent," Red-Tail argued.

"But his speed."

"..." Red-Tail could agree on that. The blue male was indeed extremely fast, possessing the speed their leader had.

"And there are more similarities there. It was...it was a bit of a shock when I first saw him. As if I was staring into my reflection, only a...more opposite one." Garnet eyes gleamed, going unnoticed by all but Red-Tail. "I want to know. I HAVE to know. Just...just what is my past?"

"Your past doesn't matter, Shadow!" Red-Tail huffed. "No matter who you were before, it doesn't matter. You are Shadow, the leader of the Black Arms. OUR leader..."

"I know. But now, years later, it...it is as if a fog has been lifted from my mind, revealing the large missing piece in my memories. For the past few months, my thoughts wandered to that missing piece even more frequently, and I find myself standing on the beaches, looking to the sea..." Shadow could have groaned, but he refused to show any weakness even as he confided in Red-Tail. "I have to find my past, Red-Tail. Just who was I before I came here? How...how did I even came here?"

Red-Tail was silent. Taking that as the end of the conversation, Shadow left to join the search.

"I guess it is time now."

The new voice in his head caught Red-Tail's attention. He turned towards the den, from which another Black Arm emerged. Citrine eyes met his vivid red as the other seated herself next to him. "Will you be the one to tell him?"

"I will Sun-Spoor." Red-Tail's claws briefly dug into the soft soil below. "I only fear that it will be the push that sends him off the island..."

"He will not abandon us," Sun-Spoor scoffed. "Even if it means bringing us along with him."

"...You mean leaving the island?"

"Of course!" Sun-Spoor's eyes gazed upwards. "There is a world beyond this island. There might be more Black Arms out there. Black-Claw himself was from the outside world before he took his sub-pack here. My ancestors would know."

"It...it might take a while for the others to accept it."

"But they will."

Red-Tail could not disagree with that. Either Shadow forced them to come along or they themselves just jumped on board. And knowing how a large portion of the pack actually grown under Shadow's reign during the years after Black-Doom's fall, the latter option was more likely.

Sun-Spoor's gaze turned back towards the den. "Now, I believe I have some pups to feed. Mind doing the hunting as the father?"

Red-Tail huffed in amusement at his mate. "I have to watch over the den."

"Oh fine~!"

* * *

 **The Black Arms in my story only have one design; I might get to drawing that design and posting it on my deviantart account; I'll let you know when I have it posted. Also, this is set in the games. I haven't decided yet whether the games had occurred because they don't really matter much. The story's more focused on Shadow's discovery of his past.**

 **Now, I won't say anything more in case of spoilers, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask! Also, should I add entries here as a way of informing you guys about my version of the Black Arms? Please offer some suggestions!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Guys...**

 **I. Am. So. BLOWN. AWAY! With just one chapter...the support you guys show for the future of this story...! I know, it isn't much to actually celebrate about, but I think it is! Thank you to all those who favorited and followed, because it shows that you guys are right behind on the story, that you guys want to know what happens next!**

 **Which is why, I bring to you this chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it!**

 **Oh, and by the way, while this may put off some readers, Sonadow is going to be a SLOW BURN. Fair warning there.**

 **Now, onto the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: As usual...I don't own Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow or the name Black Arms. But I do own their new design (which will be revealed later, just know that it only has the same general color scheme; the rest are much different).**

* * *

Chapter 2

"Tails, I'll be fine!" Sonic exclaimed exasperatedly. "I've taken worse damage than this and walked away from it all fine, you know that!"

Tails merely raised a skeptical eyebrow and tapped Sonic's bandaged knee. The wince from the sudden jolt of pain came before Sonic could stop it. "You were saying?" the two-tailed fox asked with a knowing look. "Sonic, I know you are tough and a fast healer, but not that fast to recover _within a day_."

"But Tails!" Sonic whined, throwing his bandaged arms up, only to bite back a pained groan as he carefully lowered them back down. "There's nothing to do here!"

"That's the point," Knuckles interjected from above the cockpit. "You need to rest and recover, and to do that, you need to NOT be doing anything else except RESTING. So do that or so help me, I will hogtie you to the seats."

Sonic grinned, about to make a joke from that, only for Tails to quickly intervene. "Well, that's everything I need! My laptop, communicator, bags to put samples in, camera and of course, some Power Rings and one of the chargers," he listed, putting the items into his backpack. "Knuckles, you ready?"

"All set," Knuckles replied, holding up his own rucksack. "I got my Shovel Claws here."

"Be careful out there guys," Sonic warned as Tails climbed out of the cockpit. "Those creatures are nothing to sneeze at. It'll take a good solid hit...or two, to bring one down. They have great endurance, but what makes them dangerous is that they come in numbers. If there is one, there's bound to be twelve more hiding in the bushes. So watch out."

"We'll be careful," Tails agreed. "Get some rest Sonic. We'll be back by sunset at least. I made some chili dogs for you as well. They're in the compartment on the left of the seats. And if you need any medicine, first aid kit on the right!"

"Got it Tails!" Sonic replied with a grin and a thumbs up. "See you later!"

With that, the cockpit's glass shield closed while the two mobians headed off from the X-Tornado, leaving Sonic's grin to fall as he flopped back onto the makeshift bed with a sigh and a wince. _'Sure hope they'll be OK...'_ was his last thought before he closed his eyes and tried to take a nap. Hopefully, by the time he woke up, time would have passed by and Tails and Knuckles would be back, safe and sound without Sonic having to fidget and wonder all the time whether they would be alright...

 _'Alright, less thinking, more sleeping...'_

* * *

'CLANG!'

Blue eyelids flew open at the rather loud sound. Sonic would have sat up quickly were it not for his injuries reminding him that they were still there.

'CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!'

The following sounds only served to further Sonic's worry as he slowly sat up, taking in deep breaths to get over the sting. ' _I wonder what that was! It isn't Tails and Knuckles for sure...'_ Emerald eyes darted over to the digital display of time on the controls. _'It's not even three hours yet! They couldn't be back so soon, and even if they were, they would have just came straight into the X-Tornado, not hit it...'_

The blue hedgehog's muzzle sported a frown as he slipped his feet off the seats and into the shoes resting at their end. In a less-than-graceful fashion, he stood up, took a few seconds to find his legs and reached out for a button. With a push, a compartment below slid open to reveal a fully-charged Power Ring, ready for use. _'Best be prepared, especially with the injuries I still have.'_

Sonic stored the glowing ring into his quills and flicked a switch. The cockpit rose up in a smooth motion, allowing Sonic to peer through the glass and look around.

The X-Tornado was barren of life. There were no intruders of any sort (mobian or otherwise) on the plane. The wings, the nose tip, the tail, they were all clear.

 _'The intruder might be below the plane.'_

With a press of a button, the glass cover popped open and Sonic climbed out, heading to the left wing to look around.

The sandy beach on which the X-Tornado was parked at remained mostly clear. The only evidence of life were the two tracks left behind by Tails and Knuckles, recognizable by their shoe prints. With one side mostly clear, Sonic headed to the right wing.

The new dent was rather noticeable.

Sonic's eyes narrowed as he took in the warped metal and the pair of tracks leading to it. _'Four feet... And by the length of the strides, quite big... And there is only one dent... I heard four clangs, so probably four hits to make this damage. The X-Tornado is pretty durable (though I don't think it would stand so well against Knuckles when he's in a rage), so this thing must be strong to put a dent...albeit with four hits.'_

Curious and extremely wary with a suspicion already forming, Sonic leaned over the wing to look under the plane...

And three pairs of garnet eyes met peridot green.

All eyes present widened in shock before the former's owner snapped out of it first and leapt out at Sonic. The blue hedgehog's quick reflexes were the savior of the day as Sonic pulled himself up while the other landed on the sand, revealing itself to be one of the black-and-red creatures that attacked him and Tails yesterday, bringing a wince to the blue hedgehog's face.

 _'This is bad. I can probably handle one with a Power Ring, but not any more if they decided to come in large groups like before!'_ he thought as he crouched down on the plane's wing. The ruby-eyed beast growled as it turned around to face its target. Swift as a thrown dagger, it leapt at the blue male.

Sonic jumped off the wing in response, quickly stumbling back onto his feet. He only had a moment to catch his breath before the creature charged once more. It was like a recreation of a scene between a matador and the bull, with one charging and the other dodging while trying his best to injure the creature. Whenever the opportunity presented itself, Sonic would launch a kick or a punch, aiming for the head or back whenever possible, before darting away while the snapping jaws just missed his pelt by a fur's breadth. While the attacks hit, they did not seem to be doing as much damage as Sonic hoped.

 _'It's because hitting it is like hitting a wall, a wall of solid muscle!'_ Sonic thought, grimacing when another of his connected blow didn't seem to affect the black creature at all. It just seemed to motivate it further as the beast turned around quicker than ever in an attempt to catch its prey. _'I don't think I'm going to get anywhere like this. This one is strong, way stronger and larger than the others I fought. My attacks are hardly affecting it. The only thing I have as an advantage is my speed, and even that's going to wear out. I can't use the Power Ring either, not if there's a group of these things just waiting around the corner. I need to get away or something!'_

Thinking fast, Sonic decided to try a spin attack. With his speed, his hits would have more power behind them. _'Hope this works!'_

The hit seemed to have done more damage than his kicks, but with how the beast just got up and kept on charging at him, he wondered whose endurance would last longer; his or the creatures. _'Maybe if I can do more spin attacks, I might have a chance, but at this rate, it's going to outlast me before I it.'_

Uncurling from his spiky ball, Sonic decided to use another strategy. _'Even if it is strong, it certainly isn't as fast as I am. If I can get it to chase me, I can lose it in the jungle and come back to the X-Tornado. Just have to get it to chase me...'_

"Yo, you're pretty strong!" Sonic called out as he backed away from his adversary. "But are you fast enough to catch me?" With that taunt, he turned for the jungle and dashed towards it, leaving behind a frustrated growl from the black creature (and a spray of sand) in his wake.

Glancing behind him, Sonic grinned when he saw that the beast was running after him. _'It took the bait! Now, time to show it what real speed is!'_ Revving it up, he nearly became a blur as he dashed past the trees, his quick thinking mind allowing him to dodge the roots and trunks as they came. Leaping over ditches, running over logs, even dashing up the trees and jumping between them. _'This ought ta-!'_

His thoughts were cut off when something suddenly collided into him. A burst of pain ran through his body with each impact he made against another object. Finally landing on the leaf-littered ground, the blue hedgehog felt the breath get knocked out of him. _'Man, what was-?!'_

Another maw filled with sharp teeth loomed over him. A maw covered in thick black leathery skin and a face sporting the characteristic six eyes of the black creatures, albeit crimson-colored rather than the ruby of the other. _'NOT GOOD, NOT GOOD, NOT GOOD!'_ Sonic thought in panic as he froze. While he would love to squirm away, he was not risking it with those sharp, sharp teeth so close to him. And from somewhere behind him, his hearing picked up quiet rustles that were steadily growing closer and louder.

 _'Oh no, not now!'_

But his words remained unheard as the ruby-eyed beast that attacked him first burst out of the bushes. The hero expected several things at that moment, mainly the two digging into and feasting on his flesh. But instead of that particularly gruesome scenario coming to past, there was a high-pitched bark.

Curious and surprised, Sonic looked at the two beasts. The one with ruby eyes let out another following bark to the first, which was replied to by a bird-like chitter from the other. Nods were shared between the two before the one pinning him down suddenly flipped him onto his stomach. "Hey, what the-?!" Sonic yelped as his scruff was bit into, but not to the point where teeth broke flesh, as surprising as it was with how sharp said teeth were.

The beast then picked him up, just like how a mother would her pup. Sonic squeaked in surprise before he started protesting. "What's the big idea? Let me go!"

The creature just growled and lightly shook him as a reprimand. If that was not enough, Lady Luck seemed to have abandoned him as the action sent the Power Ring and the communicator (which Sonic completely forgot about) tumbling out of his quills. Sonic froze while his mind was screaming _'no, no, no!'_

The creatures seemed to suddenly notice the new shiny thing that dropped onto the ground. Sonic's eyes dare not blink as he stared at the Ring and the communicator. _'Please let me get them back, please let me get them back,'_ he chanted inside his head while waiting for the moment for him to possibly use his foot to reach out and...

All hope was for naught as the ruby-eyed beast pawed the two objects, observing them almost akin to a curious cat with a new toy. Sonic could not find the energy or the mood to be amused as he watched intensely, heart pounding in his throat.

The crimson-eyed beast rumbled out a chiding growl and the ruby-eyed one barked in response, ignoring the chide in favor of the interesting new objects. It seemed to find most delight in playing with the Ring, watching the light dance across its surface and interact with the Ring's own natural glow. Said glow brightened as the playing beast drew it close. Ruby eyes snapped shut in content while the glow was drained from the Ring.

 _'It can absorb the Power Ring's energy?!'_ Sonic thought in shock while his hopes plummeted down like his heart to his stomach. Without the Power Ring, his escape was null and void.

The ruby-eyed beast seemed slightly displeased at the lack of glow around the Ring, but the power buzz it felt was enough to compensate for its disappointment. With one toy gone, it concentrated on the other. Grabbing the communicator, it bit into the device and shook it experimentally. There was a soft beep as the teeth hit a button and Sonic's hopes soared once more. His ears strained, hoping to hear something from Tails so that he could get them to come-!

But instead, the sound startled the beast, causing it to snap its jaws and...break the communicator.

 _'...I hate my life.'_

* * *

"Tails? What's wrong?"

The two-tailed fox frowned. "I...I just got a bad feeling, that's all... It's probably because of today... It was just so..."

"I know," Knuckles agreed. "Last time you guys headed out, you were attacked by a horde of those creatures. But today..."

"There wasn't a single attack. They're leaving us alone," Tails finished. "Something's up. Beings that are social enough to form packs are also clever in their own ways. Do you think they might be planning something?"

"Maybe," Knuckles replied in a near non-committed manner. "As long as we don't get attacked, whatever they do shouldn't bother us."

The two soon reached the end of the jungle and came out to the sight of the X-Tornado resting on the beach...

A beach that looked as if a scuffle had taken place quite a while ago.

And an X-Tornado that had a noticeable dent in its side.

"Sonic!"

The twin exclamations mirrored each other as the two rushed over to the plane. When looking at the open cockpit that was currently missing one blue hedgehog, they knew that Sonic had gotten into trouble.

In a flash, Tails flipped open his laptop and turned on his communicator. "I will try and track his communicator down," he told Knuckles while his fingers flew over the keyboard rapidly.

"And I'll look around for some clues," Knuckles added as he hopped out of the plane. Landing on the beach, the echidna took in the sight of the markings on the sand. _'It looks as if Sonic had put up a fight against whatever did this...'_ He took note of the dent, frowning at the sight. _'The X-Tornado is built to withstand a lot of damage. Even I'll have to put in my all if I want to make a dent of the same size... Whatever did this is strong, and if Sonic is fighting it on his own with his injuries...'_

Knuckles gritted his teeth and shook his head. _'We'll worry about that after we find Sonic.'_ He followed the patterns of the fight until he reached a streak in the sand. _'Sonic,'_ he thought, seeing the trail head straight for the jungle, while being followed by another track. _'Running away from a fight. This thing is bad news if Sonic thought of retreating.'_

"Knuckles!"

Knuckles looked up at the cockpit where Tails was leaning out, waving his communicator. "I got some bad news..." The two-tailed fox jumped off and showed the echidna the green screen. "The yellow dot is my communicator, and the blue one is Sonic's," Tails explained, pointing at the tiny dot that didn't glow like the yellow dot did and seemed stuck in one place. "By the looks of it, Sonic's communicator is broken. This shows the last location Sonic's communicator was before it got broken. At least there's that..."

"And I found other clues," Knuckles began. "Looks like something came to the X-Tornado, made a dent in it and fought with Sonic. Sonic headed for the jungle and the other gave chase."

Tails frowned at that. "So that means...where Sonic is, there's bound to be whatever did this," he concluded. He turned back to the communicator and his frown grew deeper. "Sonic's communicator is pretty far from here, and it's nearly dark..."

The two looked up at the darkening sky. "It's not safe outside in the dark..." Knuckles grunted. "We'll just have to wait until morning."

Tails sighed, but agreed. "I hope nothing bad has happened to him..."

* * *

 **Well, while I did say that a GROUP of black-and-red creatures kidnapped him, two of them doing it is...technically the same, right?  
**

 **And Tails...I don't think you need to worry too much.  
**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! And PixTV, I SO agree with you. So far so good indeed. And hopefully, it will remain that way right up to the end of the story.**

 **Now, before the readers could flame me on strength differences and such, I will say this. To me, Sonic is the unstoppable, the undefeated. But that isn't entirely realistic.**

 **So I'm saying this; Sonic is a fast healer. To know how fast, think of bruises fading away in just three or four days, depending on severity and size. Fractures might take a week? Please correct me if this is too fast. Cuts...probably the same as bruises...I think. Again, please correct me if I'm wrong. When I get bruises and cuts, they usually take a week or more to completely heal, and I never remembered how long it took after they healed.**

 **Power Rings will protect him from injuries, but won't heal him if he uses the Ring after getting the injuries.**

 **Chaos Emeralds are something akin to a Full Heal; quick recovery. Think of it as Shadow using Chaos Energy to heal.**

 **So, please offer suggestions on how to improve, because I alone am not having a hot time of doing it...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here we have the chapter that is the beginning to the chapter that will finally answer all questions!  
**

 **Once more, thank you to everyone who is following this story and being patient with the updates. I'm trying to keep a regular schedule of updating once a week, alternating between the two stories. I hope I can keep this up and not burn out...**

 **Please leave a review with some suggestions, because it REALLY helps. Hearing your guys opinions and encouragement always make my day and help me figure out what I need to work on!**

 **Speaking of reviews, thank you for your review, karygarcia21! And as you have been waiting, here's the next chapter! ENJOY!**

 **ALSO! TO AVOID CONFUSION, PLEASE CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS, AS THEY HAVE BEEN UPDATED, IN CASE IT DOESN'T GIVE A NOTIFICATION FOR UPDATING EXISTING CHAPTERS.  
**

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own the Sonic fandom...**

* * *

Chapter 3

Several minutes after Sonic got caught...

Sonic did not know whether he was just resigned or tired.

On one hand, his body was facing the consequences of exerting itself when it should be resting now that the adrenaline was wearing off.

On the other hand, he was being held up by the scruff of his neck like a pup and carried off to who knows where!

And the worse thing was he could not fight back, lest he faced retribution from TWO of these creatures without any boost and with his body aching furiously.

 _'Maybe I can at least try to get away?'_ he wondered, glancing back at the creature holding him captive and his feet dangling in the air. With his flexibility, he could probably reach far enough to give the creature a good kick to the chest or neck area, just enough to surprise it into letting him go and giving him the chance to make a run for it...

 _'Nah, too risky, with more chance of failing,'_ Sonic dismissed the idea, remembering how his kicks could not affect the creature. _'These two look bigger than the ones I fought and are stronger as well... I don't think anything less than a spin-dash is going to really work on them...'_ And right now, in his position, a spin-dash wasn't really possible (he might just end up tearing his skin on the teeth holding him with his movement...).

Sonic let out a resigned sigh, his shoulders slumping down. "Great," he grumbled out-loud to himself before childishly glaring at his captor. "Any chance of you releasing me anytime soon?" he asked sarcastically, thinking he wouldn't be getting a response but being too cranky and bored to care.

To his surprise though, the other black creature walking (he refused to say 'skipping', even though it looked like that with how hyperactive it was acting from the Chaos Energy it absorbed from the Ring) looked at him with a pointed look, as if asking, 'Are you really asking that question?'

"I guess it is a stupid question," Sonic agreed. "Still, can't blame a guy for trying."

The creature snorted in amusement.

"So..." Sonic trailed off, deciding to keep on talking since these creatures seem to understand him. "Mind telling me what's this all about?"

The ruby-eyed being trilled and barked.

"...I don't understand."

A look of frustration crossed the creature's skull-like face (a surprising feat, considering the lack of facial muscles to really express emotions, but Sonic was going to ignore pondering over it).

"...Look," Sonic began while a part of him was inwardly berating himself for even considering what he was about to do. _'But considering how the Chaos Energy is making it more playful, this might be a good idea...'_ "Let's play yes or no. I'll ask a question, and if it is yes, just nod your head. If it is no, shake it. Alright?"

Interest glimmered in the (intelligent) creature's eyes before, with a delighted yip, the creature nodded. On the other hand, the one holding Sonic gave a snort of amusement, but thankfully, it did not seem to oppose the idea.

Inwardly giving a victory pump, Sonic continued, "So...first things first. Are you guys going to eat me?"

A shake.

"That's a relief... So, what are you planning-, no wait, wrong question. Are you going to catch and/or eat my friends as well?" At the confused look, he elaborated, "The yellow two-tailed fox and the red echidna."

A strange expression crossed the creature's face, as if it was deciding how to answer the question. And that just made Sonic's quills stiffen in alarm, because anything less than 'no' would mean disaster.

It would also mean that he would start struggling, damn the consequences.

Thankfully (for his heart, himself and everyone involved), the creature finally shook its head in a decisive 'no'.

"Great!" Sonic breathed out, quills falling back into their relaxed state. "So, you're not going to eat me and you're not going to catch or eat my friends as well..." _'If that is the case, WHY the kidnapping...? Does it have something to do with...?'_ "Do you guys have a leader?"

A nod.

"Is he the one who ordered you guys to...to catch me?"

Another nod.

Sonic's lips pursed into a thoughtful frown. "Do you know why he wants me?" _'Last time I met him...'_ He wracked his brain to recall the memory of that black hedgehog standing before him, piercing garnet eyes meeting his own while his deep voice asked... _'Right, he wanted to ask me questions... But why? Better yet, what the heck is going on?! Why is he the leader? Just what is he doing on this island? And...what does he want with me?'_

Something nudged him. The touch broke him out of his thoughts and he looked to the right to see the ruby-eyed beast looking at him curiously. "Hm? Oh, right! Sorry, I didn't catch that..." Sonic breathed out. "So...do you know why he wants me?"

Furry grey ears twitched while the creature nodded...before shaking its head. "...Is that...you aren't sure of the answer?" Sonic prodded.

There was a pleased look in the creature's eyes as it nodded.

 _'OK... I can probably assume that he really meant what he said, that he wanted answers to his questions,'_ Sonic thought to himself with a quiet snort. _'He had quite a way to do it; threatening me first before going as far as to catch me and drag me...right, that means they're probably taking me to him.'_ "You guys are taking me to him, then, right?" he still asked when he saw the other waiting his next question.

The creature gave an excited nod before turning to the other, chirping and barking. There was a muffled bark in return, and a whole conversation between the two beasts just went right over the blue hedgehog's head, leaving him time to organize the newly-given information.

 _'To recap, these guys are taking me to their leader, who ordered them to kidnap me because he wants to ask me some questions. This leader in question is not one of these creatures, but a mobian hedgehog...living on an unexplored island... Oh, please tell me this is not the same scenario as that show where the gorilla mobian got raised by wild non-mobians...'_ Sonic thought, inwardly grimacing at the last part. _'But then again...with how things are, it might be closer to the truth.'_

A growing cacophony of growls and rumbles brought his attention back to reality. Looking ahead, he could see several glimpses of the black creatures roaming around. _'Looks like I'm going to find out soon...'_

* * *

Sonic could not help but look around what seemed to be the home of these black creatures.

Where the trees ended revealed a huge clearing, barren of any plant life. The most he found were trampled grass and moss clinging onto the rocks that littered the clearing, jutting out from the soft worn-down soil below. In this huge clearing, the creatures were out and about. One thing quite noticeable was that there were only a few adults; the rest were extremely small, probably their pups. They were tussling, running around energetically or just playing tug-of-war with the numerous broken bones scattered about.

 _'Speaking of bones...'_ Sonic's ears twitched when he heard the sound of tearing flesh and pointedly ignore whatever activity was going on there. He did NOT want to see any feasting-on-animal-flesh.

When the creatures that caught him entered the clearing, the ruby-eyed one let out a sharp bark. At once, the adults looked up, eyes immediately zeroing on the blue male hanging from one of their members' grip.

Sonic inwardly flinched while keeping up a brave face, appearing as nonchalant as possible (while being held up by the scruff of his neck). He was even tempted to break out some of his jokes or pull a cheeky wave to get rid of his nervousness, but the creature holding him was already moving, heading to the back of the clearing where it gave way into a steep cliff.

Like a stone wall stretching for miles, the ends disappeared into the surrounding jungle while it towered high. Shrubbery and moss climbed the wall, concealing the entrance that startled Sonic when he finally noticed it peeking out from the greenery. In comparison to the wall, it was quite small, but by how the creatures easily slipped in, it was big enough to let them in (albeit one at a time).

Inside the cliff, Sonic's eyes adjusted to the dim light, one that was coming from the numerous cracks and holes littering the wall above the entrance. They had just entered what was a gigantic cave, its ceiling stretching almost impossibly high while the floor's expanse was nearly three times that of the clearing...plenty of space for some dozens of these creatures to sleep in. _'Just how BIG is this group?!'_

"Oof!" Sonic yelped as he was none-too-gently dropped on a bedding of dry grass. Before he could regain his bearings, the ruby-eyed beast flopped down next to him, resting its head on his lap - and effectively pinning him down, preventing him from escaping. The other took its place behind him, lying down on the bedding as well while flexing its jaw, its head facing the entrance.

"...OK..." he drawled out, placing his hands on his sides, deciding against pushing the beast's head off his lap for the moment. "So...are we just going to wait here?"

Ruby eyes glanced at him before closing, finding the question too obvious to answer. Sonic rolled his eyes at that. "Give the guy a bone will you?"

Ruby eyes opened again at that, staring at Sonic before turning to one of the pups playing with its siblings. The creature barked to catch its attention and barked some more. A tiny face (with only two of its six eyes open) looked questioningly at the larger creature before giving a high-pitched yelp and darting out of the cave.

It was not long before it came back, its small mouth clasped victoriously on a small bone. With a wagging stump of a tail, the pup trotted over and placed the bone in front of the ruby-eyed beast before going back to its play.

Sonic could have sweat-dropped if he could when the beast then nudged the bone towards him.

"I...didn't mean that literally, but thanks," he added the last part in a hurry, not wanting to offend the creatures that weren't so hostile to him (yet).

An exasperated gleam shone in the red gaze before it decided to return to its nap, leaving Sonic to try and amuse himself with the bone. Emerald eyes glanced at the bone before darting towards the playing pups. An idea niggled in his mind and Sonic shrugged. _'Why not?'_

"Hey!" he called out, his voice catching the attention of the creatures. "Wanna play?"

* * *

"Shadow, Ruby-Claw and Crimson-Streak had captured him. They are waiting at the den."

Garnet eyes glimmered in satisfaction while a jubilant smirk appeared on his muzzle. "Excellent. Tell the others that the hunt is over, and that they may resume their duties."

The Black Arm nodded and turned tail, running through the jungle while releasing a victorious howl to announce the capture of their prey. The single note echoed through the trees, soon followed by several howls as the other members received the message. Shadow himself turned in a different direction and headed for the den. Despite his stoic expression, his heart raced in his chest, excitement and anticipation running through his veins like a cocktail of adrenaline. His mind was a flurry of thoughts.

Here was the chance to finally find out about his past, to finally fill that huge gap that had been bothering him insistently, to finally have the answers to his haunting dreams. When all of this was over, a part of him believed that things would return to normal, that he would go back to being the Black Arms' leader and living the rest of his life out on the island, content with the present.

But another part of him tugged. It was the part that had him looking out towards the sea, towards the horizon that was far away from his present, from his pack, from the island he had considered home for the past years. It was a brewing storm, one that Shadow refused to let himself be overcome by. _'Think_ _rationally,'_ he told himself. _'First, find out about your past, then decide.'_

Soon, he came into the clearing. In contrast to the afternoon when Sonic first arrived at the den, the clearing was now full of Black Arms. Shadow would not be surprised if this was in fact the entirety of the pack, present and gathered around the entrance, as if waiting for Shadow's arrival.

It seemed everyone was curious about the blue male their leader had taken an interest in. Some were truly curious, while others (most of which were the Black Arms that had faced the blue male in combat) were eager to have a possible rematch.

Red-Tail and Sun-Spoor were waiting in front of the den, standing before the entrance with their spines raised in warning towards the more curious Black Arms. "He's inside the den. Ruby-Claw and Crimson-Streak seem to have taken custody over him," Sun-Spoor told Shadow when she spotted her leader, her telepathic voice full of humor. "The last I saw him, he was amusing the pups and Ruby-Claw."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. The last sentence stated more than what was said. For the newcomer to be so close to the pups without being growled at, ripped to shreds or other form of violence...

"As long as the mothers are fine with it," Shadow said, to which Red-Tail hid a snort from. Shadow deliberately ignored the snort and turned to the rest of the pack. "Do you not have patrols or hunts to get to?" he asked loudly in a dry tone.

That seemed to catch the pack's attention as they sheepishly slunk away from the den. Shadow then turned back to the entrance and slid inside. His red eyes adjusted to the dim light and honed in on the pile resting at one section of the cave.

The blue male was almost hidden completely by the pile of black and red pups. The young ones were snoozing contently, tired out from their play. Ruby-Claw seemed to be doing the same, curled up around the pups and the blue male on one side. Crimson-Streak, who had been lying on the other side and closer to the entrance, was the first to notice her leader's arrival. "Welcome back," she greeted, both telepathically and with a bark.

Shadow nodded in return to the greeting and turned his attention to the blue male. He had been alerted by Crimson-Streak's bark and emerald eyes widened in surprise when they spotted the black hedgehog coming towards their owner.

"...You said you have questions for me?" the blue male surprisingly asked first.

* * *

"Good of you to know that," the black hedgehog replied, his stoic face a bare wall of any hint to Sonic. Behind him, the two creatures (one with the red tail markings bigger than the rest and the other with bright yellow markings and eyes) entered, flanking his sides like sentinels. Together, they created an intimidating sight, but when had Sonic ever fallen for visual intimidation?

"Quite a way to do it though," the blue hedgehog continued, his voice the most nonchalant tone he could pull off. "Makes me wonder what kind of questions you want to ask me."

"You have no need to concern yourself about that," the black hedgehog retorted. "All you need to do is answer my questions."

"And then what?" Sonic snapped back. "How am I to know that after I answer your questions, you won't just try to kill me or something?"

Tension seemed to rise in the cave at that. "Here's the deal," Sonic started before the black hedgehog could reply. "I answer your questions, and you let me go and leave me and my friends be."

"If it was that simple, I would do that," the black hedgehog rumbled, a warning behind his words. "However, you are an intruder. And my pack doesn't take kindly to intruders. Rather than leaving you three be, after you answer my questions, leave the island, or the next hunt will be for your blood."

Something in those garnet eyes promised that the threat was made with all intentions of being carried out should it be the case.

 _'Tails would probably want to see more of this island, but at this rate, at least there will be an excuse to leave quickly.'_ "Deal," Sonic agreed, a confident smirk on his face.

* * *

Back at the X-Tornado, around the same time, Tails was busy working.

A panel was opened and placed on the side as the two-tailed fox rummaged around the insides of the plane. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he carefully took out parts that were either unnecessary to the main function of the plane or easily replaceable.

While Tails was usually the type to be fully prepared, he had not expected the trip to require the need for spy cameras to find his missing brother. Thus, while he did have the tools needed for the construction, he lacked the parts to build said spy cameras, hence his careful dismantling of the X-Tornado.

Outside, Knuckles was keeping an eye out on the beach while starting a campfire. The X-Tornado was multi-functional, but it was no kitchen, and dinner time was close. With Tails being occupied with his work, it was up to the echidna to make some food for the night.

The whole affair was mostly silent, the two too immersed in their work to find the time to talk. It did not help that their hyperactive member was missing, making the silence ever more evident.

It seemed that this trend would continue on into the night, both secretly hoping that Sonic would be alright, wherever he may be.

* * *

 **I think some people are possibly confused. In Chp. 1, I said Sonic could take down a dozen or so of the Black Arms, but in Chp. 2, his attacks seemed hardly effective. That is because the Black Arms he fought in Chp. 1 are the weak ones while in Chp. 2, Ruby-Claw (the Black Arm who fought him) was a sub-leader of a sub-pack, who is much stronger. Hope this clears up the confusion.**

 **Sub-pack and sub-leader - the Black Arms pack is really big, like, fifty strong. So, it is divided into seven sub-packs led by seven sub-leaders.**

 **Telepathy - Black Arms can speak in telepathy, but only older and more experienced members can do it. Otherwise, they just communicate in barks, chirps, growls, etc. Ruby-Claw and Crimson-Streak use both ways so that their words are understood no matter the Black Arm while Red-Tail and Sun-Spoor are more prone to using pure telepathy.**

 **Shadow - can hear the telepathy, while Sonic can't (because he is not a Black Arm or even a hybrid of a Black Arm...).**

 **Also, I have a sketched and colored design of the Black Arms in this story up on my deviantart profile, Layla-Maine-Lune. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask! Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yo! I have some good news and bad news! Since I like to save the best for last, I'll give you the bad news first.**

 **Bad news is, with the recent stress levels rising for me, I might change the schedule a bit. Like, on one week, I will update Where the Wind Blows, and another week, I will update From the Wilderness. In this case, it would mean that you would have to wait TWO weeks before an update if you are exclusive waiting for just one of my two fanfictions.**

 **Where the Wind Blows will probably be safe for a while, as long as I finish a new chapter before updating an already-ready chapter (like, I have already typed out Chp. 5 while I post Chp. 4, which means even if I can't type out Chp. 6, there's still one chapter left to post, which would give me more time), but for this fanfiction, I'm typing the chapter I am posting; no safe already-typed chapter to fall back on, and this has left me stressed, trying to post a chapter with such a close time frame.**

 **Which is why I am extending the time frame to two weeks. While I will still update weekly, a chapter for one fanfiction will take two weeks before it gets posted. So I AM VERY SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE!**

 **Already, with the bad news out of the way, we'll get to the good news.**

 **The good news is that in this chapter...**

 **WE WILL FINALLY HAVE SOME PROGRESS WITH SHADOW GETTING SOME ANSWERS ABOUT HIS PAST! I bet most of you are sighing, 'Finally!', since that is probably what you came for. I'm sorry it took this long; I have a word limit on each chapter, around 3200 words, which is why I can't put all the scenes together in one chapter with how many words they take (and how long it does take to plan each scene). But fear no more! Here, Red-Tail will finally spill on what he talked about with Sun-Spoor at the end of Chp. 1!  
**

 **Now, without further delay, please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own any Sonic characters or the franchise.**

* * *

Chapter 4

 _Last time, Sonic, after arriving at the Black Arms' den site, once again met their leader, Shadow. After a rather tense start ( with no introduction either, how RUDE! ...And how troublesome for me when I have to refer to one of them from the other's p.o.v using as much diverse vocab as possible...), Sonic agreed to answer Shadow's questions, in return for the safety of his friends and himself. Shadow was fine with it, as long as Sonic and the rest of the intruders leave the island afterwards. Seeing no reason to argue, Sonic accepted. And now..._

With Sonic's agreement to the terms, the black hedgehog began. "First of all, what are you?" he asked, causing Sonic to nearly to a spit-take.

 _'Is this guy serious?'_ he asked himself, staring at the black hedgehog ( _he really need to know if this guy had a name; referring to him as the black hedgehog was getting old_ ). When there was nothing but a stoic and serious face, Sonic inwardly sighed.

In any other situation, he would be tempted to make a joke out of the question, but with things as they were ( _the terms, so to speak, and the blue hero's reluctance to break his words_ ), he ignored Blackie's glare and gave his answer. "A hedgehog mobian," he replied, intending to be evenly worded, but unable to stop himself from using a 'duh' tone at the end.

Blackie seemed to ignore it, though those garnet eyes did flash once at Sonic. _'If it wasn't for the whole 'I can and will kill your friends if you don't cooperate', I would have so much fun pushing his buttons,'_ the blue hedgehog thought mischievously, a slight grin on his lips.

"...And I assume by our...similar appearances (Sonic watched as Blackie's expression twisted at those words, his tone coming out rather reluctantly when admitting that they did have a generally similar appearance), I am the same species as you?" Blackie asked.

Sonic's own face furrowed slightly. In a way, he could understand where Blackie was coming from; aside the color scheme and the obvious height differences, with both being hedgehogs, there was the generally-similar appearance and features. _'But he still looks very different...which makes me wonder...'_

"Well, from what I can see, yes," Sonic drawled out, finding it more important that he admitted Blackie was a hedgehog mobian before there were more serious identity issues. "But then again...you do look a lot like them," he finished, gesturing towards the creatures around Blackie. "And since you are their leader, I would probably say that if it weren't for your mobian shape, you would be one of them."

Sonic decided to try and throw out a bait for more information. Just because Blackie got to ask questions did not mean Sonic couldn't fish out for some of his own answers. "Which is rather surprising. I have never seen creatures like them before..." he trailed off, watching one of Blackie's eyebrow raising in surprise.

"You have never seen a Black Arm before? Do they not exist beyond this island?" he asked, his tone both curious and urgent.

 _'Black Arms...so that's what they are called.'_ "Black Arms? Never heard of them," Sonic replied indifferently. "To be fair, this island is classified as unexplored by the rest of the world, so it's not like we can say for sure there aren't any more Black Arms out there, but I sure haven't seen or heard of one before."

* * *

"Not surprising," Sun-Spoor's voice echoed in Shadow's head. "Our species is extremely rare. I am quite sure our pack might be the only one in existence..."

* * *

Sonic watched as Blackie's ears twitched while his head tilted slightly towards the Black Arm with yellow markings. Said Black Arm was also half-staring (and by half-staring, Sonic meant its right eyes were staring at Blackie while the other half was trained unerringly at him, which, considering how they could move their eyes to that extend, sort of creep him out...).

But only a few seconds of silence passed by before Blackie's attention turned back towards him.

"I see," he muttered first before asking his next question. "And what is the secret behind your speed?"

Sonic gave Blackie a surprised look. Why ask about his speed? _'It might have something to do with how you use said speed to outrun his pack and smack them down,'_ a part of him mumbled sarcastically. _'Egghead himself asked the question before and tried to answer it himself in an attempt to defeat you. Why should he be any different?'_

"I was born with it," Sonic replied curtly, the shortness of his answer and his darkening eyes signs that he was not willing to elaborate on the answer.

"Do all of your species have the same abilities?"

 _'He's definitely fishing for information now,'_ Sonic thought with a frown starting to form on his muzzle. "No. As far as I know, I'm the only one," the blue hedgehog answered, a bit too fast to be natural but all in all, it was still the truth; there were no other hedgehogs that he knew could go head to head with him on a race.

* * *

Shadow's own lips formed a confused and slightly disappointed frown. When the blue hedgehog admitted that they were the same species, he thought that his own unnaturally fast speed (that did not come from the Black Arms; he checked) was one of the abilities he got from being a hedgehog. So when the blue hedgehog replied that he was the only one who could do it (and Shadow couldn't find any traces of a lie in that answer), Shadow was...

"I have the same speed," he admitted. "If it were not for the fact that my feet would burn from it..."

The blue hedgehog's green eyes widened in shock at the piece of info. Emotions flashed across those eyes; disbelief, suspicion, realization and a dark emotion that had been brewing in his gaze now disappearing.

* * *

 _'So that's why he's asking about my speed,'_ Sonic realized as his eyes briefly glanced down at Blackie's feet. Despite the black fur covering them, as a speedster who had suffered the same problem before he got his friction-resistant shoes, he knew what to find.

However, he was quite surprised at how well-healed Blackie's feet were; for Sonic, if it weren't for the Chaos Emeralds, he would have literally naked feet with how his fur had burned off... _'He was just curious whether his speed has something to do with him being a hedgehog too...'_

* * *

While the questioning was going on, Sun-Spoor was giving her mate a look. "Tell him."

"Don't you think we should wait until-?"

"Tell. Him." Sun-Spoor added a deep growl to her words and Red-Tail sighed in defeat.

* * *

"Shadow, I have something to show you."

Red-Tail's words came rather unexpectedly to Shadow. "What is it?" he asked, ignoring the blue hedgehog's surprise and odd looks directed at him.

"It...it probably has something to do with your past. You may not remember it, but before you became the leader of the Black Arms, you knew about it. You even kept it with you in your shelter," Red-Tail replied, his words coming out a bit clumsily from his indecision on how to exactly approach the subject to his leader and friend.

You did not just reveal you know something about their past to the person who had been searching for it after a long time of not doing anything.

"...What is it then? I...I don't remember..." Shadow murmured, eyes narrowing as he tried to recall the object (or at least, that was what he thought Red-Tail was referring to).

"Come with me then. I'll show it to you." Red-Tail headed out of the den, followed by his mate. There were a few seconds before Shadow followed, the blue hedgehog trailing behind with a mix of discontentment and curiosity warring on his features.

"It is on the west side of the island, in one of the caves that face the north sea," Red-Tail explained. "If we follow the den's wall towards the west, we will find it, but it is a long way there, so..." His red eyes glanced at the blue hedgehog still staring at the two in confusion before turning to his mate. "Sun-Spoor, would you mind if...?"

"Not at all!" Sun-Spoor chirped. Without further adieu, she reached out and grasped the blue hedgehog by the scruff of his neck, amused at the surprised yelp her action provoked. "It is better I do it anyway. I'm used to holding pups this way."

"Ugh, not again!" the blue hedgehog whined, glaring at the three as best he could (though to the others, he only managed to look like a disgruntled pup being reprimanded by his mother). "Where are we going this time?" he asked in a more resigned tone, relaxing in the Black Arm's grip.

"Red-Tail will lead us," Shadow replied curtly before turning to the Black Arm. There was a shared nod between the two before the trio shot off, sticking close to the stone wall that continued to stretch through the jungle.

There was mostly silence throughout the journey. Shadow was in deep thought, old memories being played out in his mind as he tried to recall whatever it was that Red-Tail believed to be part of his past. But try as he might, all he remembered were some parts of his life before he met the Black Arms...

Back then, he was surviving on his own, foraging his own food and finding shelter where he could. There were only a few bits and pieces he could clearly remember from that time, and two of the moments he remembered so vividly were the headaches that plagued him...and the fog that was wrapped around his memories, so thick and dense that he could not remember, that he didn't even have the luxury of time to focus on remembering.

It was only a few years after he became a leader that his mind decided that it felt relaxed enough to bring its owner back into the fray. Hopefully, whatever Red-Tail would show him would help with his recollecting of his past...

* * *

"We're here."

Red-Tail came to a stop at the edge of the jungle, where the greenery melted away into a wide expanse of sand. The wall they had been following tapered to a thin point, stretching outwards into the sea. Lining this wall were several caves and arches, worn and weathered out for years.

The Black Arms headed into one of the cave while the others waited outside. It was not long before there was a faint sound of something being dragged through the sand. Everyone watched as Red-Tail came back out, his jaws clamped on the edge of large object he was pulling.

It was cylindrical in shape, made of a strange shiny (well, some parts of it were still shiny; the others were dull, encrusted with what appeared to be reddish-brown dirt) material Shadow had never seen (or at least, did not remember seeing) before. This material only lined the outside and half of the cylinder though; the other half was made of another material, green in color with a huge jagged hole in the center.

"This..." Red-Tail began as he stopped in front of the others. "This is the object you stuck to for so long. Before I even met you," he told Shadow. "But after you became our leader, you seemed to have forgotten about it, and it remained in this cave for all this time. I thought this might have something to do with your past...but you never mentioned it and I myself have no idea what this thing is..."

Sun-Spoor hummed at that and strode over to the object with the blue hedgehog still dangling from her jaws. Her sun-colored eyes took in the markings etched at the base of the object. "I have seen markings like these before," Sun-Spoor remarked. "My ancestors once showed them to me; said that these were words, but in a different form. Our words are of the air and mind, but these words are in a physical shape."

"Can you read them?" Shadow asked, coming over to stand next to Sun-Spoor.

"No, but-"

Sun-Spoor's words faded away as the blue hedgehog, thinking Shadow was asking him, started to slowly read out the words. "U...L...dash, one five."

The Black Arms remained quiet, acknowledging that the blue hedgehog could read the words they couldn't and waited for him to finish reading. As for Shadow...

 _'UL... Ul...Ulti...Ultimate...'_ The words were coming together, but Shadow felt a strange sense of dread despite the signs of his memory coming back. _'UL-15...Ul..Ultimate Life...Lifeform...'_ The two words seemed to resonate with him, like two puzzle pieces of his identity fitting into place. _'Was I...the Ultimate Lifeform?'_

"Creation...date..." the blue hedgehog continued, the words bringing Shadow's attention back. "The second of March. Release date...the nineteenth of June. Name...Shadow...the Hedgehog..."

 _'So my name is Shadow... I...I think someone told it to me...'_ Shadow thought, closing his eyes as the very first memory he remembered started to clear up. Before, it was nothing but a haze, his mind too disorientated to remember it. But now...

 _"Sayonara...Shadow the Hedgehog."_

Garnet eyes snapped open. _'Who said that? Why...why do I feel as if...it's really important that I remember them?'_

But before he could think deeper about it, the blue hedgehog finished with the last words, as if the last nail that closed the coffin.

"Project Shadow."

Fire flashed before Shadow's eyes as he groaned, clenching his eyes shut while placing his hands on his forehead. Images bombarded his chaotic, disordered mind, blurring the lines between imagery and real memory.

 _"Project Shadow..."_

 _"Project Shadow is nothing more than a weapon!"_

 _"He is a threat!"_

 _"G...will take over."_

A loud blaring sound echoed in his head like the tolls of a funeral bell. Red lights flashed, panic overtook his mind while his heart raced and raced and _'can'tstop', 'keepmoving'. 'havetoescape', ' **protectHER**!', 'whyisthishappening?!'_

Then despair...

 _' **NOcan't** letthemtakeme!'_

Panic filled his heart and mind, struggling against bonds that he could only feel in his memories. Desperate to get away. Desperate to escape. Because what they were about to do...

 ** _'IDON'TWANTTOFORGET!'_**

No, no, no! Memories were fading away, no matter how tightly he held onto them. Slipping through his fingers like water. Images were fading. His resistance was weakening... What was he doing again?

 _"Put your hands up! Move away from the controller!"_

 _Blue and yellow... Who was this person?_

 _"Sayonara...Shadow the Hedgehog."_

 _'Who are you?'_

BANG!

And red was all he could see.

 _ **'NO!'**_

* * *

 _'Shadow... Sha dow? Shadow c_an you hear me?! Shadow?!"

"Shadow!"

Warmth flooded his being as something held onto him. Unseeing red eyes stared. _'Someone's holding me...'_ Shadow thought in a daze as his vision slowly started to focus. _'Warm...but Black Arms don't have warmth...so who...?'_

A bright green that reminded him of new leaves appeared into his line of sight, a pair of eyes that were staring at him in confusion and worry. They lit up in relief when they noticed the glassy look in garnet eyes fading away. "You're alright, Shadow..." Shadow's ears twitched as they recognized the voice.

The blue hedgehog was crouching in front of him (Shadow only realized then that both of them were kneeling in the sand _and when had he gotten onto his knees?_ ), his covered hands tightly holding onto Shadow's upper arms. Emerald-green eyes kept staring at him, as if waiting for another outburst to happen.

"Shadow. Are you alright now?" Red-Tail asked in worry, leaning over the blue hedgehog's head.

Shadow shook his head, closing his eyes briefly as he tried to calm his racing heart. A few seconds of silence passed by before Shadow decided to ask them.

"What...what happened?"

* * *

 **Well...to anyone can make sense of what just happened, congrats! To those who don't know what the heck just happened...**

 **When Shadow lost his memories, he lost EVERYTHING (how to read, write, what to eat, etc.) except his name and the last memory he saw (I think it is very clear what memory it was) before his capsule was jetted off to the planet (still need to decide whether it should be Mobius or Earth...).**

 **And this memory wipe was done INTENTIONALLY by something/someone that starts with 'G', hence the damage his mind had taken, which is why he can't recall his memories of his life after he first landed on the island and broke out of his capsule. But he is the Ultimate Lifeform, so his brain is healing, SLOWLY, which is why it took years before he started to remember.**

 **However, it is debatable whether he would recover every memory or just have flashes and glimpses of memories that affected him the strongest (like that flashbacks of words he had in this chapter). Heck, it is actually VERY likely that he won't recover everything at all.**

 **Well, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter, and remember, the next chapter for this fanfiction will come two weeks later. The coming week's chapter will be one for the other fanfiction.**

 **ALSO! I'M LOOKING FOR A BETA READER, OFFICIAL OR OTHERWISE! I NEED HELP WITH KNOWING WHETHER THE PLOT FLOWS SMOOTHLY OR NOT! SO IF YOU WANT TO BE A BETA READER, OFFICIAL OR OTHERWISE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW THROUGH A PM!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Everyone, I am so sorry for the hiatus! But since I had no device to use to type and post chapters, I was stuck for sure. Plus, I didn't have the budget to afford a good laptop back then, so sorry for the wait! But it did give me time to plan out my chapters~! So here it is! Hope you enjoy!**

 **Also, thanks to those who followed/favorited the story! Really appreciate the support!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the franchise.**

* * *

Chapter 5

"We don't know," Sonic answered first, once again thinking Shadow (well, he assumed the black hedgehog's name was Shadow, since he kept muttering it during his…outburst) was talking to him. "A moment ago, you were completely fine...and then, after I finished reading the words I could see, you just...you looked like you were in pain, holding your head and whispering words under your breath. And then...you just went into a rage..."

"You were so furious, Shadow..." Sun-Spoor added, her mental voice quiet. "Was it the words that affected you?"

"I...I think so," Shadow replied, just as quietly. "This thing...it has something to do with my past alright." He turned his attention to Sonic, who still kneeling in front of him. "Do you know anything about this thing?" he asked urgently, snapping the other out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Well...it looks like some sort of container..." Sonic replied slowly. "I...I don't know much about these things, but my friend Tails might."

"Who is he?"

Sonic gave him a pointed look, realizing what Shadow was planning. "Oh no you don't. You are NOT going to kidnap him like you did with me," he reprimanded. "Look, I'll...I'll try to get him to help you. Just let me be the one to bring him to you guys. NO kidnapping my little brother."

Shadow's eyes narrowed in a glare. "And how do I know that I can trust you not to run off?"

"You can get one of the Black Arms to come with me," Sonic snapped a reply right back. "Look, if you try to bring him over to you guys by force, they will try to fight back and both groups will just end up getting hurt. Not to mention, I'm not letting anyone hurt Tails or Knuckles. So, if I am the one to explain the situation to them, they'll be more willing to listen and help!"

"...Fine," Shadow acquiesced. "But if you try any funny business..." he trailed off in a warning growl.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll have my blood and all that," Sonic finished nonchalantly, waving off Shadow's threats. "Don't worry, alright? We'll help you get your memory back."

Shadow reluctantly nodded in agreement and stood up. Sonic moved to do the same, but before he could lift his head up, a wince of pain overtook his features and he lowered his head back down, hand instinctively reaching up to clasp at the back of his neck. "Ow, ow, ow..." he whispered, feeling something wet soaking through his gloves. _'I should have known struggling out of the Black Arm's teeth would not come off clean...'_

"What is it?" Shadow asked, noticing the other's pain. His eyes snapped towards the hand clutching the back of the other's neck and the red that was seeping into the white of the material.

The yellow-eyed Black Arm growled, the sound coming out apologetically. "When you started panicking, he started struggling. I tried to hold onto him, but he just kept on flailing, trying to get to you. It was later when I realized that he was trying to help you, but it was too late; he tore himself free."

Sonic watched as Shadow's eyes snapped back to him, a surprised and confused look in them. "...You are really foolish, you know that?" the black hedgehog asked rhetorically. If it weren't for the lack of bite in the question, Sonic's quills would have bristled at the insult. Instead, the blue hedgehog just gave Shadow a grin, though it looked more like a grimace from the pain.

"Hey, can't stand by and watch," he remarked before he gripped his wound tighter and tried to stand up without moving his neck too much. But before he could even do that, the two Black Arms moved. Sonic yelped as the red-tailed beast pushed its head between his legs and hoisted him up onto the other Black Arm's back. "Wait, what are you-?"

"Sun-Spoor can't carry you the way she did with that wound in the way," Shadow cut in before Sonic could finish his question. "So unless you want your wound to open more..."

Sonic winced in understanding. "You have a point there..."

With that said, the group headed back to the Black Arms' den site.

* * *

When they arrived, it was dinner time.

The Black Arms had returned from their hunts, bringing in some large mammals, a few smaller ones and even a makeshift net filled with fish. It was a veritable feast that would last the entire pack for several days if they rationed it, and every member was digging in.

The return of the quartet went mostly unnoticed as they slipped inside the den. Sun-Spoor lowered herself and Sonic took the cue, carefully sliding off the creature's back and inwardly sighing in relief at coming back down onto solid ground. While the ride wasn't entirely bad, it was still a jostling experience that left him light-headed. _'Or it could be the blood loss,'_ he thought to himself faintly, closing his eyes.

"Go ahead," Sonic heard Shadow say to the two beasts. "We'll catch up later." The words were followed by a series of fading thumps as the two eagerly trotted out to join the meal. The reminder of the ongoing feast brought a slight green tint to Sonic's muzzle; he had been unfortunate enough to witness toothy bloody jaws tearing into flesh and sending bits of it flying around, and the memory was not going to leave him soon.

When the two Black Arms were gone, Shadow turned to the other hedgehog. Seeing the wound was still bleeding sluggishly (and the peach-colored muzzle starting to pale), he moved quickly. "Come on," he grunted as he hoisted Sonic up onto his feet. The blue hedgehog yelped at the sudden motion and his arm reached out instinctively to support himself with Shadow's help.

With the hedgehog now supported, Shadow led him deeper into the cave. Sonic bit back a gasp at the sudden movement and struggled to keep up with the other hedgehog, who was essentially dragging Sonic along. With how dark the cave was the deeper in, it was not an easy task and Sonic could only be thankful that he hadn't bump into anything just yet. "Where are we going?" he asked quietly, his grip on the strong shoulder tightening.

"Outside," was the short reply Shadow gave in return, just as they spotted another opening, the moonlight streaming in making it easy to spot. Sonic's ears twitched, hearing the sound of running water coming from the opening. When they headed through it, they came to what seemed like a small section that was outside of the cave.

Walls surrounded the clearing on all sides, climbing upwards where they stopped in jagged spikes, leaving a hole where the moonlight was coming from. From one of the walls, a flow of water poured down to a small pool, whose edges were lined with vegetation.

Here, the dull roar of a waterfall just outside could be easily heard through the walls. _'That must be where the water is coming from,'_ Sonic thought to himself as Shadow led him to the edge of the pool. The black hedgehog pulled Sonic down (the blue hedgehog biting his cheek as he pushed back the irrational fear of water; Shadow hadn't dragged him right into the pool), and said, "Let me see the wound."

Sonic gingerly settled down and turned around, tilting his head slightly so that his quills moved away from the spot. The wound was basically a rip, the skin and fur torn from the Black Arm's sharp teeth when Sonic pulled himself away (Shadow's mouth still twitched at the reason behind the action). For the most part, the bleeding had slowed down, but if it wasn't taken care of soon, it could lead to worse situations, especially in a jungle like this.

"It doesn't look so good, eh?" Sonic asked out-loud, glancing over his shoulder.

"It needs to be cleaned," was the reply as Shadow scooped up some water from the pool and poured it onto the wound. Sonic bit his lip to stop himself from letting out a sound at the slight sting, though he couldn't contain the knee-jerk flinch.

Time passed by in silence as Shadow cleaned the wound. But it was not a silence to last for long as Sonic spoke up. "Hey, Shadow? Why are you doing this?"

"Unless you want an infection-."

"No, not the wound," Sonic interrupted, eliciting a growl from the other hedgehog that he promptly ignored. "This whole…thing. Kidnapping me, asking me questions…just what do you want to know?"

"…" There was a brief pause before Shadow replied, "To find my past."

"Your past?"

The question was a clear request for more, and Shadow found himself briefly hesitating once more. On one hand, he was not willing to just open up and hand out information to someone who was still a stranger to him. But on the other hand, he needed to know about his past, and keeping quiet with the one person that could potentially help him was detrimental to that goal.

"…I don't remember it," Shadow began reluctantly, closing his eyes and drawing in a quick breath. "At least, not beyond random flashes…and even those don't make much sense." _'But after seeing that…container, I am sure now that there is something very important about my past, something I need to know…_ ' "Even the memories I have when I first came to the island are blurred. The only memory from that time that is the clearest to me is when I first met Red-Tail…and when I became the leader of the Black Arms."

"You know…I think you have a connection to those Black Arms."

Shadow's eyes snapped open at that. Sonic couldn't see it though; he was looking down at his feet, eyes glazed over in deep thought while he explained his reasoning out-loud. "I mean, you can somehow communicate with them. I don't know what you guys are saying, but it is clear you can understand them somehow, while I can't. And that container… I may not be a science genius, but I can figure some things out."

Emerald eyes snapped out of their thoughtful state and hardened as the pieces came together to paint a not-so-pretty picture. _'Project Shadow… If that isn't a big enough hint, then I must be blind and oblivious. And with the visible connection between Shadow and the Black Arms, who are already so unique…like something just out of this world...'_

 _' **Project** Shadow.'_

 _' **Creation** date.'_

 _'Name: **Shadow** the Hedgehog.'_

All of the pieces were already there. Sonic had just been too distracted with all that had happened – Shadow's sudden outburst, his own injury – to pay attention to them.

"Shadow…" Sonic spoke out, his voice nearly a whisper from his realization. "I…I think I figured out something about your past…"

* * *

After the blue hedgehog revealed what he figured out, Shadow was left with a juxtaposition of feeling euphoric and dreadful at the same time.

He still had no idea about all the 'science', 'experiment', 'aliens' and 'conspiracies' the other spouted out, but somewhere inside of him, he just felt a deeply negative emotion, like those words were offensive insults to him. Everything about his past was setting off alarms inside him. His instincts were snarling, revolting against the very words.

But despite everything, despite this heavy feeling in his chest, he still felt a sense of accomplishment. Here was a piece of his past. Here was the first step to figuring it out. To him, nothing was worse than the gaping hole inside him, so even if his past was as terrible as his guts were telling him, he would still find out.

"You OK?"

The blue hedgehog's voice brought him back to the present. Shadow's eyes fell to the other's neck, where he had already cleaned the wound and wrapped it up with leaves. Seeing that it was done, he stood up.

"Shadow?"

"I'm alright, hedgehog," Shadow belatedly replied. "I…I still don't have a clear idea on what you really mean. I have to say, I actually lost you for a few seconds when you started rambling (he ignored the other's indignant splutters and denials of him rambling), but I…am thankful…for your help."

The other hedgehog's muzzle sported a grin at the admission. "No biggie," he chirped cheerfully as he slowly followed Shadow's example. "Also, the name's Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog. So no calling me hedgehog, Shads."

Shadow's eyes narrowed at that. "If you insist on calling me…'Shads', then I will call you what I like as well."

Sonic's grin just widened (and its mischief level just rose) to Cheshire proportions. "Either that or I call you 'Blackie' like I have been doing in my head the entire time…" he trailed off, taking some delight in seeing Shadow's frown deepening.

"That sounds worse than the first one," Shadow remarked bluntly.

"Then I'll make sure to remember that and call you 'Blackie'~!"

The sound of frustration that escaped Shadow at that moment brought cackles from Sonic.

* * *

After Shadow managed to reign in his temper ( _he had dealt with rebellious and mischievous Black Arms before; a blue hedgehog with the tendency to find and push ALL of his buttons should be no different. He was more mature than this. He wouldn't fall to the other's level…though it took a while before all those mental mantras managed to take effect on the hedgehog_ ), he led Sonic back outside, his (and he had no doubt Sonic's as well) stomach informing him that it was time to eat.

The feeding frenzy was mostly done by the time they came out as well. Now, most of the Black Arms were lazing about in small groups, licking their jaws to clean off the blood and scraps still caught between their teeth. The only Black Arms still eating were Red-Tail and Sun-Spoor.

Shadow headed straight for the two, and for a lack of anything to do, Sonic followed. The blue hedgehog gingerly stepped around the Black Arms, valiantly ignoring the fact that every one of them was staring at him as he passed by. "So…what's for dinner?" he asked Shadow once he caught up.

"Looks like rabbit meat," Shadow replied distractedly as he sat down next to Red-Tail. The Black Arm had no qualms against sharing and nudged a part of the rabbit carcass towards the black hedgehog. Sonic watched in horrified fascination as Shadow tore of some of the raw meat and ate it, _just like that_. The black hedgehog did not seem to notice the other's discomfort as he tore of another piece and handed it over to Sonic.

"Um…" Sonic trailed off, staring at the piece of meat. _'Wait, he can't be expecting me to eat it raw as well! I mean…'_ Taking a glance back at Shadow, he saw no signs of sickness or an incoming vomit (or even a sign that Shadow was just joking). _'You mean…he's used to eating meat raw?!'_ The black hedgehog was starting to look impatient, so with a wince, Sonic took the offered meat with the hand that was wearing a bloodied glove (from when he was holding his wound) and held it cautiously.

For a moment, he actually debated eating it raw, but shook his head furiously and placed the piece of meat down on a rock. "I'll…be right back!" Then, to everyone's surprise, the blue hedgehog dashed off.

Shadow growled and was about to get up and go after Sonic when the blue hedgehog dashed back, holding some sticks, leaves and branches. Then, to Shadow's confusion, Sonic started…rubbing the pieces of wood together. He was doing it so fast that his hands were starting to blur. "What…are you doing?" he asked, unable to deny curiosity at the other's strange actions. Of course, curiosity started to turn into dread when smoke started rising from the wood. "Wait-!"

"Aha!"

A spark started and caught the pile of wood on fire.

Shadow tensed up. While he may have not made a campfire before, it didn't mean he didn't know what a fire was. He and his pack had seen its devastating effects before during the hotter months. "Hedgehog, put it out, _now_."

Sonic stared at Shadow, his hands pausing from their work at surrounding the fire with rocks so that it didn't spread. "Look, I get that you can eat meat raw," the blue hedgehog started, quickly finishing up his small campfire. "But I can't. I'll get sick. So, I need to cook it or else I'll be in a really bad shape." Wrapping the meat in the damp leaves, he then placed the bundle close to the flames. "Don't worry about the fire; I'm not going to let it spread," he added when Shadow refused to stop glaring at both him and the fire.

"…Do all of you hedgehogs do this?"

Sonic hummed at that. "Actually, all mobians – that's a term we use to refer to all of us, regardless of our species – do this. It's called cooking. Of course, these days, there's more to cooking than just using fire like this…" A dreamy expression appeared on his face as he thought of the glorious food of the gods. "Ah, the wonders of cooking... I could really go for some chili dogs right about now."

Shadow raised an eyebrow while chewing on another piece of meat. The concept of cooking was entirely lost to him, and this 'chili dog' Sonic just mentioned just made no sense. "You wish to eat dog meat with chili?" he asked after swallowing the mouthful. The question was, in all intents, a serious one, for while Shadow had seen some wild dogs on his island, he had never really liked the taste of their meat. And adding that hot burning taste of chili to that mix? Of course, he was quite incredulous that Sonic would want to eat something like that.

But to his surprise – and annoyance – Sonic just laughed. "Chili dogs aren't real dogs! Their meat is not even made of dog meat!" the blue hedgehog explained while turning over the wrapped meat so that the heat could spread to the other side. By the way the dampness of the leaves was disappearing, it wouldn't be long until he could eat. "Tell you what, after all of this is done, I'll show you what a chili dog is."

That once more surprised Shadow. The way Sonic talked about the future, as if after he had figured out his past, they would still be…be friends, let alone still contact each other. "After all of this is over…" Shadow repeated to himself, teasing off another piece of meat. _'That's right. There is still the question of what I would do after I find out about my past…'_ Garnet eyes narrowed in a thoughtful glare, before the black hedgehog inwardly shook his head. _'It doesn't matter. I still haven't found it yet. Without knowing the details of my past, I can't decide yet, so best not worry fruitlessly.'_

 _'Still…it does leave the question of the hedgehog and his friends. What will they decide to do after this is over?'_

* * *

 **You know, while typing this chapter, I only realized around half-way that the clues had already been there, that it was so obvious Sonic should have noticed it as soon as he finished reading. But just like him, I also forgot from all the other things happening! Opps...**

 **But in case it wasn't clear, Shadow only knew that 1) he was part of an experiment of sorts, 2) he was created rather than born and 3) the experiment has something to do with the Black Arms. Of course, that doesn't mean he understood what 'experiment' or 'created' really means; he just knew that those words didn't sound good, not what they truly imply.**

 **And even if he did, would he care at this stage? I mean, he spent years without knowing about these things, but also while being a confident and well-loved leader of the Black Arms, who he cared about and who wouldn't give a single mind to whether their leader was created or not. Heck, him being part-Black-Arm would probably even make them happier.**

 **So yeah, Shadow may seem OOC, but in this AU, he spent years flourishing among a social species of the Black Arms. He wasn't alone or isolated or deprived of socializing; in fact, he actually got plenty of it among his kind. Of course, his lack of understanding on mobians and humans would probably still affect him; Black Arms' society and the mobians/humans' society are two different things after all. What works for Black Arms wouldn't work for mobians/humans.**

 **Hope this all makes sense (if it doesn't, feel free to tell me!).**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's Chapter 6, two days early! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well, and please leave a review or constructive criticism. There are times when I was writing this that I had no idea whether the characters were still in character or going out of the box, so a review would be much appreciated.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own the franchise.**

* * *

Chapter 6

After the hedgehogs had their fill, Shadow stood up. The surrounding Black Arms seemed to be waiting for that exact moment, because as soon as their leader got to his feet, they all did the same. And before Sonic could even ask what was going on, he soon found himself surrounded by curious black beasts. There were chirps and growls about, and Sonic should be thankful that he couldn't hear their telepathic words, unlike Shadow, who found his mind suddenly filled with several different voices all speaking over each other at the same time.

"Leader, who is this?"

"Is he a new pack mate? You did offer him some of our kill."

"Oh, he looks like a smaller, bluer version of you!"

"He's the prey we saw yesterday! Leader, let me fight him again! He's strong!"

"And fast!"

"ENOUGH!" "ENOUGH!" Both Shadow's verbal and Red-Tail's mental voices echoed across the clearing like a ferocious tide. The Black Arms immediately quieted and backed away a bit, allowing Sonic to breathe out a sigh of relief. Shadow stood closer to the blue hedgehog, garnet eyes glaring at his pack sternly.

"This is Sonic," Shadow began. "Currently, he is an ally to us. For the time being, he will be treated as a member of the pack. If I see otherwise…" The threat, no, promise trailed off, but it was enough of a warning to the Black Arms. Shadow was known for his strict discipline in reigning the pack members, and despite his smaller size compared to them, he was the deadliest among them. The beasts acknowledged their leader's words and the challengers backed off, while the still-curious ones approached slower.

"Hey…" Sonic smiled nervously when one of the Black Arms bumped its nose against his arm, sniffing curiously. He tried to back away slowly, but only ended up bumping into another Black Arm looming over him. These beasts were huge; even Shadow, who was significantly taller than him, came only to somewhere slightly above their chests. Even a full grown human would probably have to crane their necks to see the top of their heads.

But right now, despite their large size and intimidating appearances, they were acting like a bunch of curious kids, and the blue hedgehog slowly relaxed. He reached out with a bare hand (he still wore one of his gloves; he had just tossed away the bloodied one) and gently brushed against the smooth leathery skull-like head. The Black Arm's six amber eyes widened before they closed and a soft purr rumbled out.

Sonic smiled at that before the second Black Arm nudged his free arm, almost wriggling its head under his elbow. "Alright, alright!" Sonic laughed as he used his other hand to rub under the other's jaw. A pleased purr was the immediate response as the large beast settled itself next to the small hedgehog, its mostly-black tail thumping in content.

For a few minutes, the two were content with the soothing motions, but it was not long before they wanted a change of area. They shifted and nudged Sonic, trying to convey their desires with growls and chirps, but the blue hedgehog had no idea what they wanted. "Um, Shads? Mind helping me out here a bit?" Sonic asked the other, who had been watching the scene with some amusement.

The black hedgehog huffed at the nickname ( _'If he insists on calling me that, I'll have to find a way to repay the favor,'_ he thought), but he still turned to the two Black Arms. "Alright, what do you want him to do?" he asked.

The two Black Arms perked up and replied with chirps and barks.

"Amber-Spiral, the one on your left, wants you to scratch her ears, and Black-Tail wants you to scratch his spines," Shadow translated.

Sonic blinked at that. "Did you name them?" he asked as he followed Shadow's words.

"Yes. As their leader, it is my job to assign every new pack member their names," Shadow replied as he sat down, leaning against Black-Tail's side. "I was told that Black Arms usually name themselves after their appearances; makes it easier to identify them when you can easily figure their names out by seeing their features. Like Red-Tail." Shadow nodded towards the Black Arm heading back inside the den with his mate. "His tail's red markings and stripe are larger than others."

Sonic nodded in understanding and took a look at Amber-Spiral. True to Shadow's words, the markings on the sides of her front legs were more prominent, forming thick curved lines like a spiral. And the markings on Black-Tail's tail were much smaller, only forming a slight outline. "Huh. That's very practical," he mused. "For us mobians, we sort of name ourselves after objects or something that describes us. Like my brother Tails, because he has two tails instead of one. And my name, because I am fast. But there are others who have human names as well."

"Humans?" Shadow asked, glancing at the other from the corner of his eye. "What are they?"

Sonic's lips pursed in thought. "Well… They're like…monkey mobians. Only taller, much taller than you and me. I'd say…they're just slightly shorter than the Black Arms. And they don't have fur. They have hair instead, mostly on their heads, though I've been told that some of them have hair on other parts of their body too, only not as thick. And because they don't have fur or some other protective covering, they're always wearing clothes."

The black hedgehog frowned slightly at the description. "They must look pretty ugly," he remarked, trying to imagine a large version of a furless monkey.

Sonic could not hold back an amused snort at the blunt comment. "Not really…" he replied. "But then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so I guess you'll have to see for yourself to decide."

Shadow's frown grew deeper. _'There he goes again. Talking about the future like that…'_ "Why do you think I will ever see a human in my life?" he decided to ask.

Sonic felt himself pause for a moment. That was true. Shadow didn't seem like he would actually leave the island. And after Sonic and his friends returned back to Station Square, the blue hedgehog planned on keeping Shadow and the Black Arms' existence a secret (though how he would do that was still a mystery). It was not as if Shadow would see a human…

"Well, why don't you come and see for yourself then?"

The question surprised Shadow. The black hedgehog sat up from his leaning position and stared at Sonic, asking if he was really serious about it.

"Why not?" Sonic asked with a shrug. "There's more out there!" He waved an arm outwards, gesturing widely. "Just beyond the sea, even further, beyond the horizon…there are more sights than you can ever imagine, more experiences to find. Mobius is a pretty big place, and there are more people out there as well. If you want to see them, if you want to learn more about them, I can help you. After all…" A smile took its place on Sonic's face. "I'm a guy that loves adventures, and if you want, I can share some with you."

The conversation seemed to end there as Shadow denied to reply to Sonic's words, falling back against Black-Tail and staring up at the open sky above the clearing. Truthfully, he had never thought of what laid beyond the island, not until recently. Whenever he pondered his missing memories, his instincts always led him to the sea, leaving him standing at the edge of the waves and staring at the horizon. That was when he started wondering: what if there was more out there? Away from the island?

But it was only musings back then. And now, here was Sonic, telling him that yes, there was much more beyond the island. His existence, all these things he spoke of that Shadow had no idea about, they were all proof that the world did not solely consist of the island that was his home for all he could remember. And with the fact that yes, it was possible to actually leave the island, should he accept Sonic's help, the entire thing just turned both exciting and terrifying.

 _'Get a hold of yourself, Shadow,'_ he told himself. _'You plan to find out about your past first. Then, depending on what it is, you will decide… Though I have a feeling that my past truly extends beyond this island, that one way or another…I'll end up leaving it.'_

Amber-Spiral yawned and suddenly stood up. She nudged Black-Tail and the other grudgingly did the same. With some last nuzzles for Sonic and Shadow, the two headed back inside the den, the last of the Black Arms to leave the clearing. "You should get inside too," Shadow started as he also got up. "Tomorrow, we'll go and get that friend of yours."

Sonic gave him one pointed look. "Don't you dare leave without me," he warned. "And no kidnapping attempts, alright?"

Shadow glared back, offended by the challenge to his authority. "Did you not hear what I just said? I said 'we'. And I also told you before that I will allow you to come, as long as you don't try something against me or my pack."

Sonic huffed, but he looked away – Shadow took it as a sign of submission – and headed inside as well. Shadow turned away and caught sight of the still-burning fire, though it had mostly died down to small flames. With a growl, he kicked dirt over the campfire, making sure not even embers remain. He was not going to risk a sudden fire near his pack's den site.

When that was done, the black hedgehog climbed up onto one of the larger rocks in the clearing. Lying down on the flat surface, he gazed up at the starry sky, taking time to immerse himself in his thoughts.

"Shadow?"

Red-Tail's familiar voice echoed in his mind. But the Black Arm was still inside the den, making Shadow huff. "You know I can't answer back the way you do."

As if realizing this, the Black Arm walked out into the clearing and climbed up onto the rock. Shadow did not protest as the black beast settled beside him, head also tilted up to the sky.

"I never understand your fascination for the stars. Why the interest in something you cannot reach or interact with?" Red-Tail asked, soon becoming bored with staring at the sky and turning back to look at Shadow.

"It's nice…" Shadow's eyes drifted close for a brief moment. "Back before I met you…they were the only things that brought me comfort. I always felt close to the stars, even when I'm so far away from them. The sight just…it eases the pain I feel inside me, like my body remembers a time when I was close to them."

"…Everything seems to come back to your past. Everything about you… It is as if despite not remembering your past, it still defines you," Red-Tail commented. "And now, it is your driving force, the thing that will affect you the most…and the factor that will lead you to leave our island."

Shadow sat up in shock. "How…?" he asked, garnet eyes staring at Red-Tail, asking the answer to the question he couldn't finish.

"Ever since I found that…container, it was clear. The container was nothing like I have ever seen, something that only exist in the outside world. When you go chasing your past, it is inevitable that you would go to the place where the container came from…hence the conclusion that you would leave the island." Red-Tail's bright eyes seemed to glow as they stared at Shadow, understanding in their depths. "And if that is what you must do, the pack won't stop you."

"But…" Shadow gazed back at the den. "I can't leave you all without a leader. And I know your stance on that Red-Tail. You have made it clear that you never want to be a leader."

"Who said anything about the pack staying behind?"

Red-Tail snorted at the surprised look on Shadow's face. "Shadow, the pack is loyal. The pack will follow their leader, wherever he may go, wherever he may take them." Red-Tail bore his teeth, his version of a smug smile he copied from Shadow. "I will not be surprised if everyone agrees with me when you announce your desire to leave. You are stuck with us for good." 

Shadow couldn't help but laugh in relief. "And I wouldn't want it any other way."

The next day

Sonic groaned heavily as he came to. "What's with this heavy blanket?" he asked himself as he opened his eyes. In the dim light of the cave, he stared up at the surprisingly barren ceiling, finally realizing that 1) he was not back at the X-Tornado and 2) the 'heavy blanket' was actually Ruby-Claw.

He stared at the Black Arms, taking in the huge head that was pressing down on top of him. If it weren't for his stamina and the Black Arm's own control of keeping away most of her weight on him, he had no doubt that the full weight would have crushed him.

The blue hedgehog took a look around. By the light, it was still pretty early in the morning and most of the pack was still sleeping. Letting out another yawn, Sonic started to wriggle, trying to find a way to slip away from Ruby-Claw. _'This is just like the time when I got caught by one of Eggman's robots, except I can't just spindash out of it,'_ he thought to himself. Sucking in a breath, he started wriggling harder. "Come on, work with me here!" he muttered softly.

"Having some trouble?"

At the familiar voice, his emerald eyes snapped over to the black hedgehog just coming inside. "Shadow! Mind helping me out here a bit?" he asked, sucking in another breath to make himself smaller and trying again.

Shadow watched the other struggle for a few more seconds with a smirk before stepping over. Sonic yelped as black-furred hands grabbed him from under his arms and pulled him out from under Ruby-Claw's head, leaving him dangling from Shadow's hold.

"There," Shadow hummed as he stepped away from the sleeping Black Arm and set Sonic down. The blue hedgehog breathed out a sigh of relief. A slight sting at the back of his neck reminded him of the wound and he reached out with his bare hand to see if it started bleeding again. To his relief, that wasn't the case. "Hedgehog, after the pack wakes up, we'll be leaving to find your friend. Be ready by then."

Sonic nodded in acknowledgement of Shadow's words. With his message delivered, Shadow headed back outside, leaving Sonic to his thoughts. _'Well...Tails did say this wasn't meant to be a vacation…and technically, we did find an 'undiscovered species'… Hopefully Tails would be in a listening mood…'_

Back at the X-Tornado, sometime later

"Here," Tails began as he and Knuckles stood outside the X-Tornado. The two-tailed fox was holding his Miles Electric. On the green-and-black screen was what appeared to be a radar.

After pressing a few buttons, several glowing dots appeared, clustered mainly around the X-Tornado. "These are the spy cameras I made last night," he explained, pointing at the dots and looking up. Flying around the Tornado were tiny spy cameras, just barely visible to their naked eye.

"I only managed to get them to record visually though, so they won't be able to record sounds." Pressing a few more buttons, a video screen popped out, coming from one of the dots. It showed an airborne-view of the X-Tornado with Tails and Knuckles standing somewhere to the side. Sometimes, another spy camera would fly by, allowing the echidna to see the tiny device.

Knuckles let out an appreciative hum. He didn't know much about these technical matters, but he still acknowledged that Tails did a good job, putting all of this in a short time frame with the little materials he had. "So what's the plan?"

"Well, we'll first send these spy cameras out. They'll do most of the searching for us. We'll follow behind them," Tails replied. After fiddling some more with his gadget, they could see the dots starting to move, spreading all around. "Come on!"

Tails and Knuckles headed inside the jungle, in the direction of Sonic's tracks from yesterday. The search was done mostly in silence, Knuckles keeping an eye around their surroundings while Tails put most of his concentration on the screen. He kept on checking the video feeds, even watching two screens at the same time.

The cameras weren't that much advanced; they were basically flying cameras with no special features other than to display a video feed of what they see at the moment, so they could easily pass by Sonic without anyone else noticing. Of course, Tails was hoping that they would find Sonic without that happening or that Sonic would notice the spy cameras and actually try to catch their attention.

So immersed in his work, Tails didn't notice when Knuckles suddenly stopped. It was only when he nearly bumped into the echidna's back that he noticed. "Knuckles? What is it?" the fox asked, looking up from his screen.

The echidna was staring at the distance. "We got company," he grunted, readying himself. "They're coming in from the front."

Tails' eyes widened in shock and he quickly strapped the Miles Electric onto himself so that he could be ready as well. In a tense silence, they waited as the rustling leaves, the footsteps of something large running through the forest and the recognizable growls of the black beasts grew.

"They're not even trying to be subtle. What's going on?" Knuckles asked out-loud. "Last time, they were practically silent, leaving us entirely alone. And now, here they are charging straight at us!"

"I don't know Knuckles, but don't you think we should leave?" Tails asked back in reply, his tails twisting nervously in preparation for flight.

"Yeah, I think-."

"Tails! Knuckles!"

Their eyes widened in shock at the sound of the familiar voice. "Sonic?!"

The first black beast stepped into view and to their surprise, they spotted the blue form of their friend on its back, riding it. Sonic's grin was bright and happy as he waved at the two. "Hey there!" he greeted before turning to the bushes they came out of. "Guys! They're over here!" he shouted.

"Sonic, what are you doing?!" That was from Knuckles, who wanted to know what the heck was going on, _now._

Sonic gave them a sheepish grin as the other Black Arms started coming into view. "It's a long story… Basically, these guys have a leader, and that leader wants some help finding out about his past."

"Leader? What leader?" Knuckles asked, unable to relax once he saw just how many Black Arms were there.

"I am the leader."

The two mobians turned to the voice and saw another hedgehog mobian, though he was much taller and looking distinctively feral. Garnet eyes glared powerfully at the two, everything about him showing that he was asserting his dominance. "I am Shadow, and you will help me...or else."

There was a second of silence before Sonic's face-palm snapped them out of it. "Shadow! That's not how you ask for help!" the blue hedgehog scolded as he jumped off and gave his friends a sheepish smile. "Look, Shadow just needs your help with something. He isn't going to hurt you guys, right?" The last word was directed at the black hedgehog, whose quills bristled to show his annoyance.

"I don't take orders from you."

"This isn't about who is taking orders from who!"

"Tails…what has Sonic gotten into this time?" Knuckles asked as the two hedgehogs dissolved into bickering.

The fox just shook his head. "I stopped questioning it a long time ago."

* * *

 **Ah, Tails should have known better that Sonic wouldn't be able to stay away from any sort of event happening. If it isn't Eggman, it is one thing or another, from Amy trying to get Sonic to go on a date with her to finding a hedgehog whose past is connected to all sorts of trouble.**

 **What are your thoughts on the dynamic between Sonic and Shadow? In this AU, they aren't bitter rivals or something like that. To Sonic, Shadow is this hedgehog who needs help and isn't an entirely bad guy all around (of course, this is also me taking advantage of Sonic's inability to hold a grudge on anyone except Eggman). To Shadow, Sonic is this stranger whose help he needs, and in getting said help, he is slowly getting used to Sonic and finding himself curious about the outside world Sonic spoke of. Of course, Shadow still found some of Sonic's habits annoying (one of which being the nickname he was given). But what do you think about their developing acquaintanceship?**

 **Plus, did anyone notice the exposition about Black Arms? I HAD to say something, since my version of Black Arms might as well be an entirely new species.**

 **And can anyone else give some advice on how to write Knuckles? I don't have much experience with him as a character, so any kind of help would be thankful!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Before we begin, I have an announcement! Several announcements actually.  
**

 **For Christmas, I posted a new fanfiction called 'Origin'. It is about the time when Shadow first arrived on the island (not including the events that happened on the ARK) and how he befriended Red-Tail and became leader of the Black Arms. I won't be writing about Shadow's past in 'From the Wilderness', so if you want to know beyond the basics, please head over to 'Origin'.**

 **Another is that this** ** **will be the last chapter I post for a while; I need more time to plan out what will happen in the future. I've already got a basic timeline in my head, but the specific events? Haven't even thought too deeply about them yet! So after this, expect a hiatus.****

 **Finally, thank you so much for the reviews! I do reply to reviews, in case you're wondering, so if you think your review got missed, no, it didn't. It's just in the long A/Ns that I write before/after the chapter.  
**

 **GuardianDragon98: Thank you for your input! I've been worrying non-stop about the interaction between Shadow and Sonic because this is an AU with completely different circumstances, so I had to guess how they would react while keeping the plot moving. And I don't think Knuckles would get used to it in the near future; he's on Angel Island most of the time to get away from Sonic's shenanigans~ Tails has been with Sonic ever since he was a kid, so he's pretty much desensitized. And now that I look back at it, the food exchange did sound funny (poor Sonic, all awkward on whether he should accept the meat or refuse it). There's also going to be something about the food exchange in the future, so keep an eye out for that~!**

 **AyelenTH: Yeah, it is pretty cute when you consider how the Black Arms keep holding Sonic up the by scruff of his neck and toddling him around.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Sonic characters.**

* * *

Chapter 7

"So…mind telling me what the heck is going on?"

In spite of the mostly-even tone he used to ask his question, Sonic could tell Knuckles was getting impatient. The red echidna had crossed his arms and his displeasure was thinly veiled in his purple eyes that bore into the blue hedgehog walking next to him. "Well?" he asked again.

Sonic merely grinned, easy-going as ever. "Chill out Knux. I'll tell you what happened, alright?" he asked in hopes to getting the echidna to relax a bit more. Once Knuckles seemed to be in a more listening mood (Sonic took the slightly-less amount of power behind the echidna's glare as a sign), the speedster began, "You see, a few hours after you and Tails left, the X-Tornado got hit by something. So I went to check it out, and ended up fighting a Black Arm."

At the glint of confusion in Knuckles' eyes, Sonic gestured at the Black Arms around them. "Anyway," he then continued. "In short, I got captured, my communicator got broken and I was taken back to their den. Then, a lot more things happened, but in the end, Shadow asked for my help to find his past, and I agreed!"

Sonic finished off his explanation with a wide smile. True, his exposition was extremely short and lacking in several details (such as the fact that Shadow asked less and threatened more for his help, that he got an injury that still hadn't healed yet), but surely Knuckles would appreciate the short and to-the-point version?

The incredulous irritation brewing on Knuckles' face spoke another story.

"So…you got kidnapped, met the guy behind your kidnapping…and agreed to help him out, just like that?" the echidna asked, emphasizing the words 'kidnapped' and 'kidnapping' in hopes that doing so would somehow sink the weighty implications of the words into Sonic's head.

"Yup!" Sonic nodded. "That's it in a nutshell."

Knuckles sighed in resignation. Truthfully, he shouldn't be surprised by Sonic's lack of reaction. Sonic had been dealing with this kind of situation for a while already, so something like this probably wouldn't even phase the blue hedgehog. But still! "Have you no self-preservation?" the red echidna mumbled to himself.

"Nope!" the blue hedgehog had the audacity to answer back with the cheekiest grin on his face. He laughed as he dodged Knuckles' half-hearted swipe and turned to look at the front of the group where Shadow was conversing with Tails. From this distance, he couldn't make out all of the words, but he could tell by his little brother's excited tone that they were having a good time.

"They look like they're hitting it off well!" he commented with a smile that hovered between fond and relieved. When Shadow initially approached the two-tailed fox with intents of questioning him, the blue hero had been worried that the black hedgehog's intensity would scare Tails away. But surprisingly, Shadow was less forceful with Tails, and that eased a lot of tension out. It also helped that Shadow's inquisitive nature showed through, connecting with Tails and the rest was history.

Knuckles also watched the interaction, humming in agreement. But he would still keep an eye on the black hedgehog. As someone who had spent most of his life in the wilderness of Angel Island, he knew an alpha when he saw one and Shadow was probably the textbook example of a proud, commanding alpha that would not hesitate to act, regardless of morals (especially since morals such as kindness and mercy didn't really exist amongst predators).

"Ah, we're here!" Sonic exclaimed when the entourage of four mobians and a pack of eight Black Arms reached the clearing. While Knuckles took the chance to scope the area out, taking especially note of the numerous Black Arms gathered here, Sonic headed over to Tails and Shadow, his feet nearly skipping in his eagerness to move. "Hey Tails, will you need any help for this?" the speedster asked eagerly, wanting to help and move at the same time.

"Well, I got my Miles Electric with me, so I can probably scan the container and get a thorough overview," Tails started, fiddling with the yellow device while Shadow watched in curiosity over his shoulder. "And Shadow said he can handle any heavy-lifting that might be needed." He finished with his adjustments and turned to Sonic while handing out the blue hedgehog's communicator. "But I might need my tools and equipment if I need to tinker around and do a more detailed assessment. Could you-?"

"Go to the X-Tornado and bring your stuff?" Sonic finished with a laugh, taking his communicator in thanks and placing it in his quills. "I'll be back in a Sonic flash! Meet you two at the place!" Before anyone else could say anything, the blue speedster took off. It was at a much slower speed than he could have gone were he at full strength, but it was still pretty fast enough that his blue pelt soon disappeared among the greenery.

Shadow frowned uneasily at Sonic's disappearance. Noticing the expression, Tails smiled reassuringly at Shadow. "Don't worry; if Sonic said he'll be there, then he'll be at the place for sure."

"How do you make sure he doesn't run off?" Shadow asked as he started to lead Tails towards the cave where the container was, running on the ground when Tails suddenly took to the air to catch up to the fox.

"I don't. I let Sonic have his freedom, and he'll always come back," Tails replied with a fond smile. "I guess when you…um, kidnapped Sonic, you did have some trouble getting him to stay in one place?"

"Were it not for Ruby-Claw's help and some…circumstances, I believe he would have taken off as soon as he saw the chance," Shadow replied, remembering his realization that Sonic could have easily left when the blue hedgehog did leave to get those sticks and leaves. When that possibility made itself known, the black hedgehog had worried that his help would escape from his grasp a second time and that there wouldn't be a third time to get him back if he warned his friends and left the island.

"Yeah, Sonic will do that, but then again, wouldn't you try to escape too if you were in his place?" Tails asked, almost passive-aggressively.

"…I believe I would," Shadow admitted.

Tails nodded in acceptance of the answer before his expression turned a tad cold. "Now, about what you said… What are the 'circumstances' you said before concerning my brother Sonic?" he asked, his tone just as frosty. Everything about the kit screamed the real question, _'Did you hurt Sonic?'_

Shadow noticed the expression's true intents and glared coolly back in reply. "You are quite alike with Sonic; he has a tendency to be more rebellious whenever you are mentioned…" he muttered lowly before replying, "Calm down Fox. I did nothing to your brother on purpose. What happened were indeed circumstances beyond my control. In apology for that, I helped him in return."

"…I'll believe you," Tails decided. _'At least, Sonic does. And while I don't question his judgment, I also know he is more forgiving than others, almost to a fault. It isn't entirely my decision on who Sonic chooses to trust, but that is why I'll be watching his back for him… So that he doesn't get hurt. Then again, Shadow doesn't seem entirely that bad; just…just not used to interacting with us.'_

The fox hummed thoughtfully as he went back through his observations during his interaction with Shadow. _'While he does understand social cues, I keep on seeing that he doesn't entirely know how to act around us. His mentality should be expected of someone who lived on a wild island among creatures while social and intelligent, are also more animalistic and nature-driven. That's why he doesn't understand, such as how kidnapping someone isn't the right way to ask for help.'_

 _'_ _And in a way, I can see why Sonic would want to help Shadow,'_ Tails added dryly once he realized it. _'He is more straightforward as a result, without misdirection and lies. He is quite honesty…as long as he got over his suspicions and opened up.'_

"We're almost there," Shadow spoke up, bringing the fox back to the present. Tails turned his attention ahead and could see the white stretch of sand beyond the trees. As they drew closer, they could see a familiar blue figure waiting for them with crossed arms and a tapping foot.

"Finally!" Sonic exclaimed in mock-exasperation. "What took you two so long?" he asked, the tease shown in his good-natured grin.

"Not everyone can go at supersonic speeds like you can," Tails retorted with a similar grin. "Anyway, so where is the container?"

Shadow answered that question by going inside the cave and carrying the heavy object out without apparent strain in his face, lifting it as if it was as light as a feather. "Here," he said as he placed the container in front of Tails, rearranging it so that it now stood upright at the fox's insistence.

Tails' blue eyes shone eagerly as they assessed the object. He whipped out his Miles Electric and started typing in something, already going into work-mode. Shadow waited for further instructions, but when none came, he took a seat on a nearby rock, not too far from where Tails was so that he could watch and observe the fox work.

Sonic was sitting further away from the two. For a few minutes, he just sat there, waiting for something to happen. But when it was clear that both were absorbed in their own thoughts, the blue hedgehog sighed. "Tails, I'll head back to Knuckles, make sure he doesn't get into trouble. Call me when you need me, alright?"

Tails raised his hand and Sonic took that as a 'yeah-I-know' before revving back to the Black Arms' den.

* * *

When he came back, it took a bit of effort for the blue hedgehog not to start cackling like mad when he saw what the Black Arms got up to while the three were gone.

Without Shadow telling them to not bother Knuckles, the black beasts had surrounded the red echidna, pulling at his dreadlocks, messing with his rucksack and even mouthing at his knuckle spikes. The Guardian himself was trying to stop them from getting everywhere, but it was a losing battle at the echidna's end and when he saw Sonic arriving, he let out a relieved shout, "Finally! Sonic, get them off of me!"

"I'd love to Knux, but they only listen to Shadow…" Sonic trailed off, spotting a familiar Black Arm coming into the clearing. "Hey, Red-Tail!" he called out, waving his arms to catch the beast's attention.

Red-Tail's ears perked up and the skull-like head turned towards Sonic. Surprised and interested red eyes locked onto the blue hedgehog as he approached with a tilt of his head, a gesture that conveyed a question.

"Can you tell the others to give Knuckles some space?" Sonic asked, pointing at the literal pile that was now Knuckles. "He doesn't mean any harm, but he does have a bit of a temper, and with how the others are being curious…"

Red-Tail nodded in understanding. From Sonic's point of view, what Red-Tail did was quite strange. The Black Arm just glared at the pile, didn't even let out a sound, and suddenly, the others sprung away from Knuckles as if they just got a severe lashing. The Black Arms were now looking rather sheepish, ears lowered in embarrassment and tails drooping to the floor while Red-Tail just kept glaring at them.

 _'_ _Whoa. Talk about effectiveness. Red-Tail just glared at them and they're all like kicked puppies. But if it was because of the glare, how did it work the first time? They couldn't even see Red-Tail's eyes… Maybe it was the power behind it?'_ Sonic thought, the last part in an almost joking tone because he himself had faced the power of glares before. 'If looks could kill' goes the saying.

"You alright there Knuckles?" Sonic asked after shelving that thought away for later. He headed towards the echidna and sat down next to him.

"Just peachy…" Knuckles grumbled, his mouth turned down in annoyance while his tone held signs of relief. "Just…keep them away from me. If they do that again…"

"They won't. Red-Tail is like Shadow's right-hand man. They'll listen to him," Sonic reassured the peeved echidna, receiving a huff in reply. "Anyway…got something to eat? Breakfast wasn't exactly to my taste…" Sonic winced slightly at the memory. He didn't get the time to cook his meat like he did last night, so it was either eat the meat raw or go hungry. Sonic chose the latter; starvation wasn't a stranger to him, but he still preferred to get his daily meal. Running at sonic speeds required energy after all.

"I got some dried fruits," Knuckles replied as he dug into his rucksack, grimacing at the amount of saliva and teeth-made holes on it. Thankfully, the contents were mostly unscathed and he tossed the bag of rations to Sonic.

"Thanks!" the blue hedgehog sighed in relief as he opened the bag and dug in. It wasn't the high-calorie chili dog he was used to, but beggars couldn't be choosers. As he munched away in content, Knuckles took the chance to observe his friend.

Sonic looked rather harried, his fur in disarray with dirt on some spots. The bandages from yesterday were still there, only they were now stained with dirt. The blue hedgehog was also missing a glove and the peach fur at his fingers was colored a dried red, something that sent an alarm in Knuckles' head. And when Sonic tilted his head, that alarm just rang louder once Knuckles spotted the leaves covering the hedgehog's neck.

Knuckles took a breath. Once, while the two of them were barely friends, whenever Sonic got an injury, the echidna would be direct about it, asking what happened and taking charge to take care of it. Sonic never stayed still for those times, always claiming that he could take care of himself. And while the hedgehog could back up his claim, Knuckles still saw 'not telling friends about injuries' as not taking care of oneself, and thus still persisted in doing it when Sonic was obviously too stubborn to do it unless it was serious.

But now, after years of friendship, Knuckles had a better way of doing it.

"Sonic, you need to change your bandages," the echidna spoke up, bringing Sonic's attention to himself and the dirty bandages.

"Yeah," Sonic winced in agreement once he saw their state. "But I don't think I need the bandages anymore. Most of the bruises are already healing…" Sonic pushed away some of his fur to check and sure enough, the purples and blues were half-way faded to brown. That was good enough for the hedgehog. "And my chest doesn't feel so winded."

Knuckles raised an eyebrow and poked Sonic in the ribs to check for himself. The hedgehog winced, but there was no further sign of pain. _'Sonic sure got lucky,'_ Knuckles thought. _'That fracture I felt wasn't as serious as I thought… Then again, this hedgehog has more Chaos in his body than anyone else, with the number of Power Rings he uses. His healing factor is just getting better.'_ "Alright then," Knuckles said as he moved closer to Sonic. Deftly, he untied the bandages, starting with the legs, then Sonic's chest. Just as the bandage from the latter area fell, Knuckles grabbed Sonic faster than the blue hedgehog could react and poked at the leaves around his neck. "Now, mind telling me what this is?"

Sonic groaned, realizing Knuckles' trick. The echidna got close to him in pretense of taking off the bandages when in reality, he was just trying to see what the leaves were about. "It's nothing Knuckles," the hedgehog deflected, bringing his hands up to push the echidna away.

"If it is nothing, then why is it covering your neck to that degree?" was the reply as Knuckles pulled the leaves away, exposing the thin layer of skin stitched over the still-red wound. The echidna frowned at the sight. The injury looked healed enough that it wouldn't be fatal, but it still needed proper care. "Stay still. I'm going to bandage it."

Sonic sighed, giving in to the echidna's order and staying still while Knuckles rummaged around for a spare roll of bandage and some ointment. As the echidna worked, he asked, "So, how did you get that injury?"

"It was an accident," Sonic replied, his tone as flippant as ever to make it sound less of a big deal than Knuckles was thinking. "Besides, it was mostly my fault anyway," he added. "I did something I shouldn't have done without thinking."

Knuckles' purple eyes gave him a suspicious glare, but seeing that the other wasn't going to spill any more than that, the echidna backed down. If Sonic didn't want to say anything, he wouldn't push…too much.

* * *

Later…

"We're back!"

Tails' familiar voice woke Sonic up from his nap. Emerald eyes blinked open and sought out the gold fur of the two-tailed fox. They soon spotted Tails and Shadow and took in their expressions. Tails looked thoughtful and a tad perplexed (and worried) while Shadow looked extremely tense, as if he was going to explode in impatience at any moment (that was probably the reason why Tails looked jumpy).

 _'_ _That doesn't look like good news…'_ Sonic thought as he stretched out his arms and got up to his feet. A glance up at the sky showed that it was around lunch time. "Hey Tails! Just in time for lunch!" Sonic called out, grabbing the fox's attention. The blue hedgehog waved Tails over and the fox did, his face almost showing stark relief at the opening.

Once Tails was mostly out of earshot of Shadow, Sonic asked quietly, "Did it go well?"

"Mostly…" Tails replied just as softly. "I did a scan on the container. Its metal is the kind used for space travel, you know, like rockets and stuff, so that it can survive the re-entry. And the insides…they are rather complicated. I can only figure out that it has a life support function and something related to cryonics, but to find out what the other functions are, I'll need more time. But I do have a theory. The container is possibly a space capsule slash stasis pod…"

The two bushy tails swished eagerly while Tails worked on his Miles Electric. "Also, I saw some more words on the capsule. I'll need some time to do a little digging to determine what those words are related to though."

"Do that after lunch, alright?" Sonic asked, feeling his stomach starting to rumble. "We both could use something in our stomachs."

Tails bit his lower lip and glanced at Shadow. The other hedgehog was pacing back and forth, growling something lowly to a red-tailed Black Arm. Sonic looked where Tails glanced at and smirked. "If you're worried about Shadow getting on your case, don't worry. I'll handle him. Do what you have to do, even if it'll take a while," he reassured Tails, giving the fox a wink. "Besides, I do have to repay the favor for the whole 'kidnapping' thing. Let's see how he feels being 'kidnapped' by me for a day, eh?"

Tails couldn't stop a smile spreading on his face at the joke, no matter how cheesy it was. "Alright Sonic. I'll do my best!"

"I know you will buddy…"

* * *

 **Oh Sonic, if only you would be more open about yourself... It would make things much easier for Knuckles! And I made Tails a protective little brother, the kind that will give their older brother's suspicious friends a shovel talk.**

 **Anyway, so whatcha think? In this story, there are Zones on Mobius, and Sonic frequently runs through them, collecting Rings (the exposition on the Power Rings will come in a future chapter, but if you have any questions now, please make them known through a review, PM, etc.). Also, he has used the Chaos Emeralds before, more frequently than any other mobian has, and with every Eggman encounter, he always end up using a Power Ring. With so much contact with the Chaos Emeralds, it's no wonder he's got a lot of Chaos in him.**

 **Now, to those who says it is rather unrealistic, I'll ask you this. If you plan on writing a fanfiction where a MAIN character ends up stuck in a bed, being unable to do anything because of injuries healing at a realistic rate, you end up with a plot that doesn't move, because the main character can't interact with others! And a fanfiction needs the plot to move or else we'll be stuck in one spot for too long. So this is my attempt at writing injuries as realistically as I could while making sure the plot moves (it's already been dragging on long enough with all the scenes that feel more filler than anything else).**

 **If you have any questions, please leave a PM or a review! And if this story doesn't have its facts lined straight, please let me know!**


	8. Chapter 8

**As Mushu of Mulan once said...**

 **I LLLLLLIIIIIVVVVEEEEEE!**

 **GuardianDragon98: It may be because I haven't read many Tails and Sonic centric fanfics, but I want to see the two being protective of each other, hence the shovel talk. Thank you so much for the feedback!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't- oh, you guys already know this by now! That's it! No more disclaimers!**

 **...I say that, but... How many of you bet that I would put another disclaimer in a different chapter in the future?**

* * *

Chapter 8

"He said it'll take more time…"

Red-Tail sighed at his leader's impatience as the black hedgehog paced back and forth like a caged tiger. "Have patience, Shadow. Be glad that the fox will figure it out in due time rather than being unable to figure it out at all," he offered in hopes to easing Shadow.

"But I have come so close…" Shadow growled, his quills tensing up and making them appear more rugged than ever. "The answers are nearly there! I cannot help it if it agitates me. Ever since last night…I've been seeing those flashes even more vividly. And it is always the same thing, the same voice!"

 _"_ _Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog."_

"I need to know Red-Tail. I have never felt more urgent than ever…" the black hedgehog groaned lowly, coming to a stop and staring at the ground under his bare feet. His claws nearly pierced his palms when he clenched his fists. Something inside him was struggling against unseen chains, practically snarling and clawing at his chest. He needed to know. He felt it was something important…something so important!

"Hey there!"

The voice, no matter how familiar, startled Shadow. The black hedgehog whirled around, his hands unclenching so that his claws could be used, only to stop on a dime (a very, very close dime) when he recognized Sonic. The blue hedgehog had leaned back a bit at Shadow's reaction, but the grin never faded from his face.

"…What is it?" Shadow asked, his baritone husky and deep in frustration.

"Well, since you're free and all, why don't we go for a run?" Sonic asked, his feet nearly dancing in anticipation. "I haven't seen much of the island yet as well, so you could show me around!"

"I think you should, Shadow," Red-Tail offered, realizing what Sonic was up to. "This hedgehog is fast; he can be a good competitor against your speed."

Shadow couldn't help it. He was as competitive as any other Black Arm, and the thought of a competition that could challenge him had his eyes lit up. "Alright," he agreed. "But, rather than a run, I challenge you to a race."

"A challenge?!" Sonic exclaimed, his grin nearly showing teeth at how excited he was. "Oh, you're on buddy! They don't call me the fastest thing alive for nothing!" But a thought came to his mind and he frowned, staring at Shadow's bare feet. "Hmm…wait a minute! Let me grab something for the race."

Shadow raised an eyebrow, but Sonic didn't elaborate and instead sprinted away. A few minutes later, he came back and Shadow was surprised to be presented with a pair of objects similar to what the blue hedgehog had on his feet. "What are these? Am I supposed to…put them on my feet?" Shadow asked, assuming the last question and glancing at his own bare feet.

Sonic nodded. "Yup! These are shoes." Holding one shoe in the crook of his arm, he then pulled out something white and vaguely foot-shaped from the other shoe. "And these are socks. These things protect your feet when you wear them, and these shoes are specifically made for fast runners, so that they don't melt off your feet from the friction."

He put the sock back inside the shoe and handed them to Shadow. "If we're going to race, I wanna see how fast you can REALLY go!" The speedster gave Shadow a toothy grin, one full of zeal and an unspoken challenge.

Shadow smirked back. An eager challenger always got his own competitiveness spiking high. "Challenge accepted."

With some help and demonstration from Sonic, Shadow managed to put on the socks and shoes. The sensation of his bare feet being covered by something felt a bit unusual yet weirdly familiar at the same time. The color scheme of white and red, similar to Sonic's shoes with the lack of a gold buckle being the only exception, just added to that odd contradiction.

"Comfy?" Sonic asked, bringing Shadow back down to earth. "These are my old shoes, back from when I was a kid. I used to wear these to help me grind on rails. Tails made them out of some stretchable material so that it 'grows' with my feet. Is it too tight? You do have bigger feet than me…"

Shadow shook his head to Sonic's last question, humming lowly as he tested out the shoes while Red-Tail kept trying to sniff at them. Other than the familiar-yet-weird feeling of having his feet covered after so long, there was also a nagging notion that the shoes should feel heavier than this. _'It's probably nothing,'_ Shadow dismissed his thoughts. _'It's just because this is my first time wearing them. I'll get used to it eventually.'_

Once Shadow (and Red-Tail) was thoroughly satisfied, Sonic directed him to the stone wall. "Since I haven't explored much of the island, we'll keep the race simple. First one to the end of the wall at the west and back here wins." With that said, Sonic dropped to a runner's position, sending Shadow one last grin. "Ready…"

Shadow also crouched down, his body falling into the position with ease. The anticipation of the race was fervent in the atmosphere, attracting other Black Arms to come and watch as well.

"Set…"

"GO!"

Like a bullet shot out of a gun, the two took off, their feet pushing against the ground and leaving behind a spray of dirt from the force. A high speed was easily reached on the go, their feet almost never fully touching the ground before pushing off again. Shadow's heart drummed to a beat as the shoes kept his feet protected and let him reach speeds faster than he ever remembered doing.

The feel of the wind blasting through his fur, how his tunnel vision cleared up quickly, his body taking over, dodging obstacles as they came with ease, the adrenaline pumping inside his veins, all of it felt amazing! For what seemed like the first time, Shadow felt himself grinning wildly without restraint.

There was a loud whoop next to him and Sonic pulled up, a blue streak running neck in neck with Shadow. "Feels great, right?!" Sonic called out, laughter filling the air between them, and Shadow belatedly realized that he was also laughing.

"Yeah it is!" Shadow called back through his laughter. Everything about running at these speeds was familiar, and in a good way. The added aspect of competition just made the entire experience even better.

"Time to take things up a notch!" Sonic's shout warned Shadow as the blue hedgehog moved even faster, overtaking Shadow and reaching the beach first. In what seemed like a pin-hair turn, Sonic whirled around and sped back past Shadow.

The black hedgehog growled zealously as he pushed himself to the limit. But to his surprise, when he tried to go faster, his body started moving in a way different from the smooth running motion he had been using. His legs swung unusually and his feet was pushing off the ground at an awkward angle for running.

"What's wrong?" Sonic yelled back when he noticed Shadow had fallen behind. "Come on, I know you can go faster than that!"

"I don't know!" Shadow snarled back, frustrated at the lack of control over his body.

Sonic's teasing grin faded to a thoughtful line as he slowed down, just enough so that he was now running next to Shadow. Emerald eyes took in the black hedgehog's posture and Sonic found himself surprised. The way Shadow was running…it was familiar, yes, but surprising in that Sonic never expected Shadow to know how to move that way, considering that the black hedgehog had never worn skates, let alone shoes, as far as he knew.

 _'_ _The way he's moving, it's similar to a speed skater,'_ Sonic thought, before he amended his sentence, _'A speed skater that is trying to run and skate at the same time.'_

Before Sonic could share his discovery though, the two hedgehogs reached the clearing where the Black Arms were waiting in anticipation. Both of them screeched to a stop, Shadow stumbling slightly from the sudden deceleration, and were then swarmed by the excited beasts.

 **"You see how** fast they go?!" (*)

"Who **won?!"**

" **A draw!"**

 _'_ _No it wasn't,'_ Shadow thought, gritting his teeth. _'Sonic could have won easily; he was running fast enough that he was in the lead, but he slowed down… And I don't think it's from exhaustion either.'_ He clenched his fists, the frustration from before sinking back in. _'What's wrong with me? Why wasn't I moving the way I want? I_ know _I can go faster…'_

"Alright, back up everyone! Give them some space!" Red-Tail's mental voice barked. The Black Arms eventually subsided and the second-in-command approached the two hedgehogs. As soon as his eyes laid on Shadow, he knew that his leader was still frustrated. "Shadow?"

"Shadow," Sonic called out at the same time as Red-Tail, the dual voices bringing Shadow out of his thoughts. His garnet eyes turned between the two of them before Red-Tail jerked his head towards Sonic.

The blue hedgehog took in a breath when Shadow's eyes turned to him. No matter how often he saw them, those red eyes always ended up startling him with their intensity. "Shadow," Sonic repeated in an attempt to regain his composure before continuing, "I think I figure out what's wrong. The way you move, you look like a speed skater."

"…A what?"

By the confused expressions on both Shadow and Red-Tail's face, it was clear they had no idea what a skater was. _'If that's so, how does Shadow know how to skate…? Does it have something to do with his past?'_ "A speed skater," Sonic reiterated. "The way you're pushing off the ground, it looks like you're trying to skate rather than run." When the confused expressions still didn't clear, the blue hedgehog gave up. "I'll show you as soon as I get the chance."

With that said, Sonic's bruises demanded that he stopped exerting his body and started resting. The back of his neck was aching again as well. _'It is a good thing I brought this then,'_ Sonic thought as he pulled out a Power Ring from his quills. A sigh of relief escaped him once he felt some of its power surging inside him.

"What is that?"

Shadow blurted out the question before he could stop himself. He couldn't help but stare at the ring though. Something about it, something that he could sense…it felt terribly familiar.

"This is a Power Ring," Sonic replied, holding out the golden object. Its glow was slightly dim, but it was still there. "This is a special kind of Power Ring though. It doesn't disappear once its energy is used up, and thanks to Tails, it can be recharged and reused again. And the energy I'm talking about is-."

"Chaos…" Shadow muttered, eyes still locked onto the ring. "It's…Chaos Energy, right?"

Sonic blinked, surprised that Shadow knew about Chaos Energy before remembering that Ruby-Claw did end up absorbing the ring's power when he first got captured by the Black Arms. _'Ah, they probably know about Chaos Energy then.'_ "Yeah, that's right," Sonic replied. "Do the Black Arms use it?"

"Sun-Spoor told me about it… She said that her ancestors used to rely on Chaos Energy to survive, but later on, they evolved to become independent of a Chaos source and even started producing some of their own…" Shadow explained, his expression containing a slight frown that Sonic started learning was Shadow's thoughtful face. "May I?"

The request surprised Sonic, but there was no harm in it, so he nodded and handed over the ring. "Sure!"

However, as soon as Shadow's hand came in contact with the ring, both hedgehogs let out a gasp as the glow of the ring flashed brightly. Shadow's gasp turned into a growl when he felt _something_ rising up his arm, coming directly from the ring. Gold sparks fizzed across his fur and his chest felt a heat growing within.

Gradually, the sensations settled and Shadow let out a sigh, feeling as if an ache inside of him that he had forgotten so long ago was now soothed. He released the ring and opened his palm, golden energy crackling merrily in its cusp.

"What. Was. That?!" Sonic yelped, staring at the ring, then at Shadow, and at the energy sparking away in his hand. "What did you do?"

"I don't know," was the reply Shadow gave while the energy in his palm grew.

Sonic noticed the surge and panicked. "Quick! Release the energy before it explodes in your face!" he yelled, waving his arms around.

Shadow's face contorted into a frown of concentration as he glared at his palm. Slowly, the golden energy bent to his will, forming a steady glow. Then, instincts took over as he flung his hand at the sky. "Chaos Arrow!" he involuntarily yelled out.

At the motion, the energy flashed once before several energy projectiles appeared and shot out towards the sky. They traveled for a while before exploding soundlessly, though it did give a rather amazing light show.

Shadow sighed as the energy left him. The ache made itself known once more, leaving him feeling extremely drained and tired. Turning to Sonic, he found himself subjected to stares from both the blue hedgehog and the red echidna that had looked up at the commotion.

"You…you can use Chaos Energy too? And to the point of using a Chaos technique…" Knuckles muttered, quite surprised.

"Do you think he might be able to use a Chaos Emerald as well?" Sonic asked, his expression rather serious for once.

"There's a high chance of that," Knuckles nodded before turning to Shadow, a grave look in his eyes. "We need to find out your past, now. Being able to use Chaos Energy enough to perform the techniques is not something trivial."

"And by the looks of things…" Sonic added, remembering Tails' words about the capsule and the words 'Project Shadow' repeating itself in his mind. "It isn't going to be a walk in the park either…"

Shadow could only stare at the two, perplexed and a little unnerved. To him, this Chaos Energy was something he felt used to, something he felt was the norm. But from the way the two mobians were talking about it, it sounded as if being able to use Chaos Energy was a rare trait…and that being able to do it was not a small feat at all. "Just what are you two talking about?" he asked, his tone just one step away from one he used to demand answers.

A pair of violet eyes turned an assessing look to Shadow before Knuckles sigh. "Let me explain…"

* * *

Dinner time soon rolled around and Shadow found himself staring into the fire that the others made, ignoring everything else going on and just concentrating on his thoughts and the meat he was chewing. At Sonic's behest, Shadow decided to try out their 'cooked meat'. The taste was rather unique and rich, something Shadow found himself appreciating.

But other than his praises at the taste, his thoughts were centering at Knuckles' words from earlier. Apparently, among mobians, there were only a very few who could use Chaos Energy, and among that very few, there were practically none that could use the energy to the extent Shadow just did without a Chaos Emerald. Of course, if Shadow was a normal mobian, they wouldn't be as concerned as they were now, but from what they found out by the container (the fox called it something else, but Shadow couldn't remember the words right now), Shadow was anything but a normal mobian.

 _'_ _Just what am I?'_ Shadow pondered. _'Sonic said that it has something to do with the 'science' and 'experiments' he once spoke of, but I still have no idea just what those words really mean… And normal? I have no idea what they thought of as 'normal'. To me, the Black Arms are 'normal'. I being able to do what I can is 'normal'. So…what should I base 'normal' off of? Myself? Or their standards?'_

"Shadow?"

The black hedgehog hummed.

"I did the research and I found another clue at least…"

Garnet eyes looked up at that, interest thoroughly piqued.

Tails' blue eyes shifted nervously under Shadow's intense stare, but the fox drew in a breath and continued. "The capsule, I found where it came from. You see, twenty-five years ago, there is something called 'Space Colony ARK'."

At the words, Shadow inwardly flinched and the urgent feeling from before about finding out his past came back with a vengeance.

"It is the first space colony to ever be built and a very advanced research centre where the best scientists were recruited. But nobody knows just what those scientists were researching. Then, just around ten years ago, it got shut down due to an accident. The human government didn't say just what the accident was and the ARK was closed down. However…" Tails' eyes gleamed in an almost mischievous way. "I believe the research is still there, and while it is closed down, no one said we can't go there and see for ourselves…"

Sonic realized what Tails was planning and a mirroring mischief shone in his emerald eyes. "A trip to space eh? Sounds great to me!" he approved.

"Yeah, but we can't just charge in," Tails continued, typing away at his Miles Electric. "While the ARK is abandoned, I don't think we can just walk in easily. There has been a mention of the human government's military forces being involved in the space colony, so just to be safe, I'll still need some time to see if we can give them the slip and get on board… Not to mention, I still need to get the X-Tornado adjusted so that it can travel through space. All in all, it will still be some time before we can get to the ARK." A serious look glinted in his eyes. "Plus, we also need to consider that the ARK might not have the information we want, in case the accident wiped it all out. So I'll need to find another lead to fall back to, just in case that happened."

"Any idea on the second lead?"

Tails shook his head. "Not exactly. I mean, there is the military force to consider, but I can't find any good lead on them on the internet." A frown of frustration was visible on the kit's face. "For an organization involved in the ARK, there is very little information about its relation to the colony. I might have to dig in deeper." _'And by that, I mean hacking.'_ "Either way, I won't be able to do all of this here though. I'll need the tools and materials from my workshop."

"Does that mean we'll have to leave?" Knuckles asked. Unknowingly, his question drew everyone's attention, including Shadow and the Black Arms.

"Well, we still have the President's request to think of," Tails answered. "Considering the size of the island, it'll take a while to scout and map its entirety. Of course, we'll also have to do something so that he doesn't know about the Black Arms or try to find them… Anyway, we'll probably have to stay here…for a month or so. But after that, we'll definitely have to leave."

"A month?!" Knuckles exclaimed, staring at Tails. "I thought this is going to take only a few days!" He shook his head. "If this is going to take a month, I'm leaving. I can't leave the Master Emerald unguarded for that long! Besides, I don't think you'll need my help for this… Looks like you got that pretty well-covered." He gestured to the Black Arms to prove his point. With the beasts being their allies, there wasn't exactly a danger for him to fight.

"Alright then. But when you leave, could you help out with a delivery?" Tails asked. Before Knuckles could protest, the two-tailed fox launched into a long list of supplies and materials he needed for the project of turning the X-Tornado into a rocket.

While the two mobians were busy, Sonic took a look at Shadow. During the whole conversation, the black hedgehog had been completely silent. "Shadow?" he called out, moving over to sit down next to the other hedgehog.

"A month," Shadow merely sighed, to Sonic's surprise. "…I guess I can wait another month. But…" Shadow looked up, locking a serious gaze with Sonic. "As soon as possible, we'll find out about my past on this ARK…"

Sonic nodded with a reassuring smile. "As soon as possible," he promised.

* * *

 **Fun fact: the body remembers more than the mind. Muscle memory and all that. Which is why when Shadow wants to run at fast speeds, his body remembers 'skating' and thus, Shadow kept on trying to skate rather than run. It is more involuntary than anything.**

 **And about this Chaos Energy thing. Please take note that I have described Shadow as wearing essentially nothing, including his inhibitor rings. As a result, during the ten years he was stranded on the island, he kept on losing his Chaos Energy until his body finally had enough and built up a defense against it. His body's production of Chaos Energy dwindled to almost nothing and he just takes his energy from the food he eats.**

 **Now, when he comes into contact with Chaos Energy again from a source that gives it out readily, his body got a 'jump start', unlocking his ability to use Chaos Energy once more. Now, the defense (which is basically a small dam) got destroyed by the Chaos Energy (which is a flood that clears away the dam), so Shadow will be producing Chaos Energy once more and his body will eventually grow dependent on it again. More to come in the future chapters!**

 **And think about it. Mobians have special abilities that COULD be related to Chaos, but an ability like Shadow's? Nope, no one Knuckles or Sonic has heard of!**

 **Also, remember when I said in the summary that the Black Arms would be coming along with Shadow?**

 **You'll kinda have to wait for a month for that to happen...**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

* * *

IMPORTANT NOTICE

As I said, there will be a month filler section filled with lots of bonding and learning for our characters, and I'll need your help! Please send me suggestions/prompts on what the characters (mostly Sonic, Shadow and Tails) will do during the month. An example is a day where Sonic and Shadow explore a part of the island, or Sonic introducing Shadow to skating or something like that, with any additional details you want, as long as they are reasonable. Your ideas will be credited to you.

* * *

Edit (*): After a reviewer asked about this, I decided to change things in the Black Arms speech. Those who aren't well-versed in telepathy will speak in a mixture of telepathy and noises (growls, purrs, chirps, etc.). This will be shown in underline and bold (underline for telepathy, bold and underline together to show both telepathy and verbal noises).


	9. Filler 1

**Dear readers,**

 **Thank you for the prompts given! I plan on receiving many prompts, but so that I don't keep you guys waiting on the main plot, these fillers will mostly be in a separate fanfiction. However, to make sure the story still flows smoothly, there will be some fillers (I've counted three) that'll show that the characters have become friendlier with each other. After these (probably three) fillers, I'll post Chapter nine!**

 **So if you want to see the fluffy stuff and give more prompts concerning something filler-y, please head over to the soon-to-be-posted fanfiction called 30 DAYS (very original, I know, and yes, I will only accept thirty prompts for that fanfiction). If you want to see Chapter nine, please wait for the (probably three) fillers to be uploaded. Hope you'll continue to enjoy reading this!**

 **Now, to the reviewers!**

 **GuardianDragon98: Well, Shadow didn't lose his skates and rings that way...**

 **SPOILER ALERT! LOOK AWAY IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW! AND SPOILER TROLLS, I SWEAR, I'M COMING FOR YOU IF YOU DARE TRY SOMETHING!**

 **That's actually related to how he lost his memories and the BIG DIFFERENCES this AU has from canon. If you take a look at Chapter four of this fanfic, you'll see this particular paragraph -**

 _'NOcan'tletthemtakeme!'_ Panic filled his heart and mind, struggling against bonds that he could only feel in his memories. Desperate to get away. Desperate to escape. Because what they were about to do... _'IDON'TWANTTOFORGET!'_

 **\- BEFORE Shadow remembers a scene where Maria got killed. So something happened before he escaped from the ARK, and that is how he lost his memories, skates and rings. It'll come later in the fanfic.**

 **END OF SPOILERS**

 **Thank you for your prompt! I plan to add it in one of these (probably three) fillers! Please feel free to add details if you want. These are also prompts tailored to those who suggested them, so don't hesitate!**

 **SharpDragonKlaw: Again, thank you for your inputs! I'm grateful for them! Your prompt on the astraphobia and how Sonic met Tails has a VERY HIGH chance of coming. It might be long (with my tendency to add words where there shouldn't be...heehee), but I hope you'll like it when it comes out!**

 **ThinMintE06: Thank you for the bet! Let's see how it'll turn out~ And thank you for the prompts, and this filler is actually one of those prompts! The third one (actually, I had already planned something like your prompt for a while now XD. So I hope you don't mind if I add my idea in as well!). Hope you'll enjoy this.**

 **SO TO ANNOUNCE! THIS FILLER IS FROM A PROMPT BY THINMINTE06! YOU HEAR ME?!**

 **Hope you'll enjoy the (filler) chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own-**

 **...ThinMintE06, you won. I swear it; it's a freaking habit! I just typed out the disclaimer before I remembered...**

 **...Just read the chapter people.**

* * *

FILLER 1

"Hey Tails, can I borrow this? Thanks!"

The poor two-tailed fox couldn't even protest as his older brother snatched the yellow device from his messy desk and shot out of the reconstructing X-Tornado. He could only blink his sleep-crusted eyes and let out another yawn again. Looking at the sky, he could see that dawn had barely touched the sky.

 _'It's still too early...'_ With that thought, Tails flopped back onto his makeshift bed. He could get his Miles Electric back later...

* * *

At the Black Arms' den, Shadow was having his breakfast, while inwardly frowning at the lack of richness in the taste; he never thought there would come a day when he was displeased with the taste of raw fresh meat. Sun-Spoor was also feasting with Shadow while carefully choosing tender meat from the deer carcass and feeding her growing pups. "So, is Sonic planning on visiting us today?" she asked casually while a pup snapped up the meat from her jaws.

"Knowing the hedgehog, yes," Shadow grunted, licking his lips to clean off the blood. "Rather than asking that, the better question would be what he is planning on doing today."

"Hopefully not another exploration so soon," Sun-Spoor purred while one of her pups pounced on another and the two tumbled off the rock they were on, yelping and chirping. Shadow watched from the corner of his eye with a slight hint of amusement.

A blue blur coming into the clearing soon caught his attention though and Shadow inwardly groaned. Hopefully, whatever idea the hedgehog had this time, it would be tamer...

"Shadow!"

Sonic approached the rock Shadow was sitting on, bag swinging from his shoulder. "Morning," he added as he jumped up onto the rock and casually plopped himself down next to Shadow, gracefully ignoring the deer carcass draped over it and the frown on Shadow's face as the black hedgehog pointedly push Sonic away from leaning in too close. "Remember when I said I would show you what a speed skater is?"

"...So?"

"Well, since we're having some down time, I thought I would fulfill that promise!"

Shadow gave Sonic a dry stare while the blue hedgehog busied himself with the yellow device. When there was no reaction, Shadow silently breathed out of his nose and turned his attention to other (frankly more important) matters, such as cleaning his hands, licking the blood off the black fur and claws.

Once he deemed them clean enough, he wiped his lips with the back of his hand and turned to Sonic, just in time for the blue hedgehog to nearly shove the device into Shadow's face. "Here! This is what we call skating!" Sonic explained as he pulled up a video. Shadow didn't even have to lean forward to see the video (Sonic was pushing the device that close to his face) while Sun-Spoor, in a brief fit of interest, leaned over his head to get a good view of the screen. "This one is on the ground, called roller skating."

Shadow watched, barely hiding a twitch of surprise at the moving images on the device. He had told himself, over and over, that any device from those mobians that he had no knowledge of could do surprising things, that he should no longer be too shocked by what they were capable of. He pushed down his questions though, since Sonic almost always gave less-than-useful explanations; he should ask Tails later.

Now, on the device's screen, the images played out a scene where several mobians were lined up, strange objects decorating their heads, elbows and knees. Strapped to their feet were shoes, but for some reason, they had these circular things attached to the bottom. "How can they stand on those things?" Shadow asked, staring at the circles. By what he garnered from the image, those circles things were flat and thin, something Shadow considered to be unstable to stand on. "How are they planning on moving with those things in the way?"

"That's actually the point of skating," Sonic replied, inwardly smiling at Shadow's questions. It was always amusing and heart-warming to see the curious expression on the usually-stoic hedgehog's face. "Those things are called wheels. Skates are just shoes with wheels strapped to the bottom, and skaters...well, just watch."

Shadow hummed and watched as the mobians crouched in a ready-stance. There was a brief second of silence before they suddenly took off. For a moment, Shadow stared in disbelief at the way the mobians moved. They looked as if they were flailing - gracefully, but still flailing - with their legs and arms swaying everywhere. Then, when the curve came, their movements smoothed out. Now, their speed could be seen as they rounded the track, and Shadow caught a faint background noise.

"What is that noise? The clapping and shouting?"

"This is a competition. Here, they compete to see who's the fastest in skating," Sonic explained. "So the crowd is cheering for the racers, for the mobian they hope would win the competition. It's the same with running, but I usually top those!" Sonic's grin turned cocky for only a split second before it fell to a sheepish tone. "Course, after the first race, I was banned from entering any other race unless I had restrictions on."

"Why is that? Isn't that unfair?" Shadow growled, quills bristling at the thought. "All competitors should be allowed to race with their best. If not, what is the point of the competition?"

"Well, we're talking about the fastest thing alive," Sonic said, both a boast and a matter-of-fact tone in his voice. He couldn't help it if it was true. "Racing against me is like racing on foot against a rocket or some other super-fast vehicle. It is not fair to the other competitors. Besides..." Sonic shrugged, a nonchalant expression in his eyes. "I don't mind. While I do love running and having some actual friendly competition would be a dream, it's not as if I'm too hung up on it. Anyway, this is just the roller skates. Just wait until you see the skates used for ice!"

"Ice?" It was a new concept to Shadow, who had lived on a tropical island for the ten years he remembered. There had never been snow or ice on the island. Sure, there had been some cold days, but even the tops of the mountain range remained clear.

"You'll see it here," Sonic said as he pulled up another video. "But ice is just frozen water; water so cold that it becomes solid. Super slippery and super cold; not exactly the ground I would like to run on."

With that apt bare-bone description, he played the video.

Shadow's eyes shone with interest when he saw the copious amount of white in the surroundings. "Is that ice?" he asked.

"Nah, that's just snow. Think...like, sand, only colder and white and maybe softer?" Sonic replied with a shrug. "Ice is different from snow. Both are frozen water, but ice is harder and more solid...think of like a cold, flat, slippery ground." Just as Sonic said that, the video displayed the image of a mobian dressed in black with goggles coming onto the icy track. The lens zoomed in to the skates and Shadow's eyebrow raised in pleasant surprise at the sight of what seemed like a suitable weapon (it looked sharp, like a deadly claw) stuck to the bottom of the shoes.

"That must be quite useful in defending oneself," Shadow commented. "That sharp claw is much better than those circles from before."

Sonic blinked in surprise and looked at the skates. It took a while before he got what Shadow was referring to and chuckled, just a tad uneasily. "Yeah. They are sharp, but I don't know if they're sharp enough to cut or make damage...though if they can make tracks on a thick layer of ice, I'd say they'd be pretty dangerous alright," Sonic agreed, making a mental note not to piss off ice skaters. Who knew if they would actually resort to using those knives-in-disguise-as-skates to attack.

This time, the video showed not a race, but just that one mobian skating around the lap. To Shadow, the ice skater seemed just a tad faster than the roller skaters. The motion seemed much smoother too (though that could be because the video just cut straight to the skating rather than the starting scene).

Once the lap was done, the video ended. "Well, there is more to skating than just these," Sonic said. "But I gotta return this quick. See you later today Shads!" With that, the blue hedgehog tucked the device back in his bag and took off.

"Hmm... Well, it was interesting," Sun-Spoor commented after Sonic disappeared into the greenery. "I have no idea such activities even existed. Quite interesting..."

"Indeed. It was certainly different from what I had imagined," Shadow agreed. "I think I might just stick to running..."

"That might be a wise decision," Sun-Spoor hummed. "Did you notice that the ground they skated on is free of any obstacles or imperfections? It was all just smooth and flat, and in the jungle, such things are virtually impossible to find. If you try to skate here, I have no doubt you would end up tripping rather than getting somewhere in a timely manner. Skating seems to limit you to a certain type of terrain. Not practical I say."

"True," Shadow sighed. _'So that means I'll have to train my body to get out of that habit... It's going to be hard; I've always relied on muscle memory to get me through when I was without any memories in my mind, and I've grown too used to letting my body control itself. But...if I can't reach the speeds I want on muscle memory, I'll just have to practice, if I'm ever to reach the speeds the hedgehog can...'_

 _'So that I can truly race against him.'_

He looked around the clearing, and after he took in the mostly-elliptical shape, an idea came to his head.

* * *

Later that day (after Sonic sneaked the Miles Electric back on Tails' desk successfully), the two received a visitor.

"Hey Knux!" Sonic greeted excitedly when he spotted the red echidna coming down from the large floating island now hovering some distance above. Without a pause, he almost pounced on Knuckles as he asked with barely-restrained glee, "Did you get them?!"

"Yeah, yeah," Knuckles grunted, pushing the hyper blue hedgehog away from his personal space. "And as you requested, the wheels will withstand friction and work on most terrains." With that, he reached into the huge box he was carrying and brought out two pairs of roller skates. "What are you planning on doing with them anyway?"

"It's for Shadow," was all Sonic said before he rushed off towards the Black Arms' den, eager to get started.

Knuckles watched the blue hedgehog disappear and snorted. There was a comment he dearly wanted to say to Sonic's face, but that could wait. He picked up the box again and headed inside the X-Tornado. "Hey Tails? I got your supplies here!"

* * *

Back at the Black Arms' den, Shadow's brow furrowed in concentration. The large area in front of the mountain range was cleared away with the Black Arms all sitting at the very border. The dirt was smoothed out, the smaller rocks and bones were removed, creating a nicely-free space of dirt, perfect for running laps, which was what Shadow set out to do (the laps were a spontaneous idea born from watching the videos this morning, hence the cleared space).

But before he could get started, there was a blue flash and Sonic sprinted into the clearing, nearly jolting in his stop from surprise at seeing the usually-cluttered clearing so clean. "Hey Shads! What's up?" he asked, glancing around at the clean clearing, the Black Arms audience and back at Shadow. "Wow, talk about perfect coincidence! This is great!"

Shadow didn't get a chance to put a word in as the overly-eager hedgehog pushed a pair of objects into his arms. "Go on, put them on!"

"What the-?" Shadow started, only to stop when he recognized the objects, only bulkier. "...Roller skates?"

"Yup!" Shadow looked up and saw that Sonic had already put on his pair. "Since you're more comfortable with skating, I thought you might want a pair of skates of your own! That way, you'll reach those speeds I _know_ you can, and we can have a real race for sure!"

Those words brought back the conversation about fair competition and his own thoughts earlier today. Shadow stared at the skates and back at the bright smile on Sonic's face. The blue speedster's gesture brought a strange feeling in his chest. Here was Sonic, doing his best to help Shadow out, even outside of matters they initially agreed on. On one hand, his pride didn't exactly agree with Sonic's gesture, but on the other, it wasn't difficult to see that Sonic had genuine intentions of wanting to help Shadow, not belittle him.

With something that might grow to a smile, Shadow put on the skates.

Sonic's grin seemed to light up even more as the black hedgehog carefully stood up. A frown of concentration was on the other's face as he searched for a firm footing with wheels that seemed not to understand the concept of friction. "Here, put your feet in a V-shape. That'll help," Sonic suggested, gesturing at his own feet in that position.

Shadow grunted and copied Sonic's stance. Once he was sure of his footing, he looked back up at Sonic, who was skating over to the other side of the clearing. Just like years ago, when he learned how to survive by copying other animals, he watched the blue hedgehog carefully and copied his motions, quickly coming up next to Sonic.

"Nice," Sonic hummed. When a turn came, he leaned into the curve and Shadow copied along, matching stride for stride (or is it skate for skate?). "Alright, try to go faster. Those wheels won't burn. Go on!"

Shadow's eyes glinted eagerly and the black hedgehog started to speed up. Once he got comfortable enough, he leaned lower. _'Let's see how fast I can really go!'_ With that, Sonic barely had the time to move out of the way before a black blur sped past him. His emerald eyes shone as he watched Shadow tore through the laps, the Black Arms making a ruckus to cheer for their leader. "Well, I can't let him have all the fun!" Sonic said to himself as he also started to speed up. Sure, skating was not exactly his thing, but that didn't mean he couldn't give someone a run for their money!

Shadow was nearly dizzy from the speeds he was going, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. This new speed was amazing! And best of all, his body and instincts felt 100% comfortable with it, something that set his mind at ease. From the corner of his eye, he saw an approaching blue blur and smirked when Sonic finally caught up. "What took you so long, hedgehog?" he teased, something lighthearted in his baritone that had Sonic teasing back.

"Oh, I just didn't want you to eat my dust so early on in the game," Sonic smirked. "But since you look like you can offer a good challenge now, I won't have to hold back! Three laps! See you at the finish line Shads!" With that said, the blue hedgehog pumped his legs faster, slowly gaining a lead against Shadow.

"Oh no you don't hedgehog," Shadow growled almost playfully as he easily caught up. Thus began the battle for the lead.

It was never a sure outcome; as soon as Sonic managed to get a lead, Shadow doggedly followed with his better stamina until he overtook that advantage, but then, the curve would come and Sonic's smaller figure would slip inside the curve and the blue hedgehog would be at the front again. And that was what made the competition exciting; Sonic wasn't sure if he would win, which made the entire challenge even more fun!

Soon, it was the last lap, and the two were in dead heat.

"Skates or no, I'm gonna win this one Shadow!" Sonic taunted, speeding up until he was almost directly in front of Shadow.

"I'll be waiting for you at the finish line then," Shadow mocked back, before turning his eyes to the unanimously-agreed-on finish line. His legs pushed harder and he leaned down further into the wind. The two were almost at the finish line, and then-!

Shadow's new burst of speed sent him careening right into Sonic, and the two tumbled past the finish line. The Black Arms yelped, but they couldn't get away in time and ended up breaking the two's fall, painfully for all parties considered.

Shadow grunted and breathed out lowly. He wasn't entirely out of breath, but his heart was racing and he was nearly quivering from everything. There was a soft groan coming from under him and he looked down to see a slightly dazed Sonic staring back up. The other hedgehog was in the same state; not exactly out of breath, but from under that thin layer of flesh and peach-colored fur, Shadow could feel his heart thumping loudly.

"I...I say that was a tie?" Sonic asked, grinning up at the looming black hedgehog.

"...Agreed," Shadow breathed back out, finding his own lips tilting up in a smirk, not entirely too upset with the ending...though whether it would be the outcome of the race or the literal ending itself would remain unknown. "But that won't be the same next time."

Sonic snorted. "I'll believe you when you break the sound barrier," he retorted back with a laugh. "Now, we better get up..."

"Right," Shadow blinked and tried to move away quickly. Unfortunately, he forgotten that he had wheels strapped to his feet and in his haste, they slipped and he instead ended up falling back down again. Sonic yelped as his vision got buried under a mass of black fur while Shadow stiffened.

"The wheels," Sonic muttered, his voice muffled slightly. "Shadow, use your knees instead."

The black hedgehog growled lowly - Sonic unable to hold back a shiver as the sound rumbled through him from the close contact - as he followed Sonic's advice, bringing himself back up with his knees. Then, slower than before, he got up, his feet sliding into the V-shape smoothly. Sonic breathed out and pushed himself up, also carefully getting up to his feet. Behind him, the Black Arms were shaking their heads and doing the same. "Hopefully, this won't happen every time they want to race," one of them muttered, being the unfortunate one to bear the frontal brunt of the two hedgehogs.

"It was great!" another remarked, bearing his teeth in a toothy grin. "But I agree; next time they race, hope it won't be here."

"Leader, can we use the clearing now?"

Shadow nodded and the Black Arms reclaimed the clearing, lounging around and going back to their daily businesses. Turning his head back to Sonic, he saw the hedgehog muttering and fiddling with his skates. "The wheels look good... Though can they hold up if we break the sound barrier? Might have to ask Tails... Now where is...ah!" The wheels from Sonic's skates suddenly retracted, much to Shadow's surprise. "These skates can act as shoes too just in case," Sonic explained to the staring black hedgehog. "Just press the button at the back of the skates."

Shadow nodded slowly and looked at the back of his skates. Sure enough, there was a slightly raised spot of red on each of the black-and-white skates. But he didn't press them, preferring to still try out his skates. While Shadow practiced in the clearing, slowly (re)learning how to maneuver in other ways, Sonic watched from his spot. _'He's a natural for sure. Just some minutes in and he's already skating like he's born to do it...'_ Emerald eyes caught the content look in the other's eyes and Sonic smiled.

 _'Wonder if we can try out other kinds of skating too...'_

* * *

 **And that's a wrap! ThinMintE06, hope you enjoyed this!**


	10. Filler 2

**And here is Filler no. 2! This is an idea by SharpDragonKlaw, both of their ideas combined into one filler! Thank you for your prompt and your helpful opinions, SharpDragonKlaw! Not saying what it is; you'll just have to find out~!**

 **Review responses!**

 **ThinMintE06: I'm glad that you like the first filler! And there are actually shoes that can double as skates, called heelys. But they don't have four wheels like roller skates; only one wheel at the heel. And Shadow will be using those skates; I have proof in the world of anime that roller skates can be used for transport! Not very convincing argument, but still works!**

 **Now, on with the chap-, I mean, filler!**

* * *

FILLER 2

"Ah, this is the life…"

That was the relaxed comment coming from the blue hedgehog lazing about on the beach. Sonic was lying on a towel, under the shade provided by a slight overhang of several large empty boxes that were stacked awkwardly on top of each other. A pair of sunglasses sat on his face, and through the dark-tinted lenses, he gazed upwards at the deep blue sky, content to simply watch the clouds float by. "There's nothing like a day of relaxation on a tropical beach…"

"True," came the agreeing comment from his left, where Tails was also setting up his own towel, only his was out in the sun. Sonic watched from the corner of his eye with a content smile as his little brother happily curled up on the towel, soaking up the rays. "It's nice to take a break and just relax…"

"Swamped with work, eh?" Sonic teased good-naturedly.

"You have no idea," Tails groaned, a pout on his face. "Since this is a request from the President, we'll have to go through channels to get our findings approved of. There's just so much paperwork involved, and they aren't the fastest responders out there. At least that gives me time to work on the X-Tornado…"

"It's coming along great," Sonic encouraged, eyeing the changing X-Tornado in appreciation. It no longer looked remotely plane-shaped. Now, he could see a large spaceship taking its place, which provoked another question. "But Tails, does it have to be this big?"

"I just have so many ideas!" Tails gushed, eyes sparkling. "I've always wanted to build a spaceship, you know, like the ones they show in sci-fi movies, only better! It'll have weapons, a hangar for other spaceships, rooms, an observation deck, and-!"

"OK, OK, I get it bro!" Sonic laughed, reaching out and ruffling Tails' bangs. "You want to go nuts on this project eh?"

"Yup!" Tails nodded vigorously. "It's going to be great Sonic! And we'll have to give it a new name too."

"Well, we'll have plenty of time to think about it," Sonic reassured the excited kit. "We still have two weeks to go before the month is up."

"Yeah…" Tails sighed, falling back down on the towel, though this time on his stomach as he turned to look at Sonic. "So, how's the exploration going with Shadow?"

Sonic's smile tilted up further at the question and the memories it brought. "It's going great! We've finished about over half of the island already," he replied, and unable to help himself, he continued, "You should have seen the last trip; Shadow and I were exploring the jungle when I…"

Tails smiled as he eagerly listened to Sonic's retelling of his adventure with Shadow. It reminded him of their younger days. Whenever Sonic left on a long trip and Tails had to stay behind, the blue hedgehog would always retell his adventures, making sure to describe as much as possible so that it was as if Tails had been on the adventure as well.

So absorbed into the story he was, he didn't notice the sky quickly darkening.

Like a creeping shadow, the grey clouds stalked the sun, soon swallowing it up within their dark depths. A wind colder than the sea breeze blew by, finally catching the two mobians' attention. Two pairs of eyes darted around, soon spotting the cloudy sky. Other senses came into play; the smell of approaching rain, the not-so-distant rumble that had Tails trembling in fear, and the chilling wind that started to howl.

Sonic's face was serious as he got up. "Come on Tails. Let's get back to the X-Tornado," he called out firmly, his voice slightly louder.

Tails blinked and nodded, ears slowly flattening. Sonic's worry rose up several notches at that, causing him to hurry. He scooped up the shaking kit, bundling him up in the towels and rushing towards the safety of the X-Tornado. The soon-to-be-completed spaceship was not the best shelter by all means, since the top wasn't finished yet, creating open spots where rain would soon flood in from. But there were areas where they could find shelter, one of which being the 'room' that they slept in. Sonic rushed inside, climbed up onto his makeshift bed and curled around Tails the best he could.

Thunder grew louder and the symphony of rain began. Wind found the openings and howled as it rushed through them, blowing into the 'room'. Despite the lingering warmth of the towels, Tails shivered.

"You're alright Tails. I'm here…" Sonic whispered into the kit's large ears. As the storm continued to brew and rage, Sonic continued to hold Tails and kept on talking about random topics, anything to keep the frightened kit's mind off the storm. He told Tails the silliest jokes, the funniest moments he had, and when he ran out of humor, he described their adventures, everything from the adventures he had before he met Tails, to when he did, to the journey to Little Planet, to their meeting with Knuckles and onwards.

There were times when Tails was almost relaxed, only for a lightning bolt and a following rumble of thunder to ruin it and send the kit huddling back closer to Sonic. The blue hedgehog didn't mind though ( _he never minded anything_ when it came to his little brother). He just continued to hold Tails and carry on the one-sided conversation.

But then...

"BOOM!"

The thunder came too late as the lightning bolt that preceded it struck the X-Tornado. It was inevitable; a huge object in the middle of a very empty beach, of course it would attract lightning. There was a low but loud groan as some of the more unstable structures above gave up the battle to hold themselves and fell in an earth-shattering clang. Sonic growled and immediately got up, his protective instincts going haywire.

 _'Not safe, not safe,'_ they told him, urging him to take his little brother somewhere safer. Tails started to whimper louder and even uttered a soft little cry that had Sonic's heart clenching. "Hang on little bro. We'll go somewhere safer…" Sonic muttered in hopes of reassuring the terrified kit. A search around their 'room' resulted in finding a piece of tarp, which he used as a raincoat around Tails. Then, carrying him safely in his arms, Sonic dashed out as fast as he dared to go in the rain with everything made slippery.

The rain was quick to soak him through, but he didn't care for the chill creeping through his pelt. All he cared about was making sure Tails was safe, and since the X-Tornado was out of question, there was only one other place he knew he could go to. He made a beeline for the Black Arms' den, hoping Shadow would consider taking the two of them in.

* * *

At said den, Shadow and the Black Arms were taking refuge and were quite cozy at that. The large cave was always lined with dried bedding, everything from dried vegetation to the skins and pelts of their prey to the indigestible feathers of the birds they sometimes caught. The bedding was more for comfort; the Black Arms were cold-blooded, unable to produce warmth of their own, but the miniscule warmth they still retained was greatly coveted.

Shadow was lodged in amongst his pack, a thick pelt covering his form for protection against the wind that would sometimes find a way in and chill the cave. The storm, the lack of activity and the approaching boredom was making him drowsy, especially since his pack members were also a lazy bunch. Already, half of them were asleep and the other half on their way there. It wasn't their fault; that was what the pack did during storms, sleep, since there was nothing else to do.

Of course, that boredom was dashed away when a blue blur rushed inside. The blur disappeared to reveal Sonic, a serious and anxious expression on his face that Shadow rarely saw, enough that its appearance still stunned him.

But that stunned state didn't last for long when his garnet eyes landed on the shivering bundle in Sonic's arms. The faint glimpse of two white-tipped tails and a pair of large quivering ears made deduction easy. "What's wrong with the fox?" Shadow asked, standing up and approaching the standing hedgehog.

"He's scared of thunder and lightning," Sonic rushed out quickly. "Shadow, can we stay here, just until the storm passes?"

Shadow nodded, and some of the tension in Sonic's shoulders fled. The blue hedgehog gave the other a grateful smile and turned when he noticed Ruby-Claw approaching. She gave a worried croon and herded Sonic over to her corner where her sister Crimson-Streak was waiting.

Soon, the four were settled, Ruby-Claw and Crimson-Streak curling up around Sonic who was still holding Tails. Shadow settled back in his spot and watched as water dripped off the blue pelt, though Sonic didn't seem to mind his wet state at all. His emerald eyes were almost overflowing with concern, worry and a protective love as they stared at the trembling fox kit in his arms.

From where he was, Shadow could hear faint whimpers and Sonic's quiet voice as the blue hedgehog soothed his kit. The Black Arms all made a sympathetic sound; the kit's whimpers sounded too much like their own and they did see the two as a part of their pack. Shadow closed his eyes and made his own reassuring rumbling purr.

"It's alright Tails...we're safe, you're safe, I'm here Tails, I'm always here..." Sonic kept repeating the words in a firm tone. Those words floated by Shadow's ears and the black hedgehog's eyes glazed over. Somehow, those words, the tone they spoke in and the sight of that protective love in those emerald eyes brought a nostalgic feeling in his chest.

 _"I'm here Shadow. I'm always here. It was just a nightmare."_

 _"But it felt so real… I thought I lost you, M…"_

 _"Silly Shadow. I'll always be with you, no matter what."_

 _"…You promise?"_

 _"I promise. Even if I'm not actually there, I'll still be here…" A warm hand, so gentle and soft, pressed against his chest, right above his heart. Blue eyes shone with care. "No matter what, I'll always be here Shadow."_

 _Then, a low tune started playing in his head. The owner of those blue eyes was singing, but he couldn't hear their voice entirely. And for some reason, his eyes were getting heavier…_

Shadow's eyes blinked sharply as the faint blurry images in his mind faded away, but the memory remained, as fresh and delicate as morning dew, present yet so close to disappearing. The black hedgehog growled, holding onto the memory with everything he had. He would not let any more of them slip away, not when it was so _important._ This person, whoever it was that showed him so much care and concern…who was it? Why couldn't he remember this person's name?

"Shadow? You alright there?"

Garnet eyes glanced up sharply, meeting concerned green eyes that were almost too similar to the eyes in his memory. He sucked in a quick breath, holding it in for a few seconds before reality sunk in and he relaxed. "I'm fine," he replied before turning his attention to Tails, who let out another soft cry.

Sonic's eyes darted back down to his charge and he started whispering again. Shadow watched for a few seconds, the scene almost identical to what his mind just showed him, and with his heart still raw from the experience, he got up. His shoes were muffled by the bedding, but Sonic still looked up when Shadow approached. Without a word, the black hedgehog squeezed in, sitting down next to Sonic, his eyes trained on Tails.

The silence from Shadow only lasted for a few seconds before a deep low hum grew in the air. Tails stilled while Sonic's eyes widened in surprise. The black hedgehog continued to hum, a tune that was broken in some places, but he still carried on without faltering.

Sonic smiled at that, inwardly berating himself for not thinking of it in the first place. Tails loved hearing lullabies, and whenever he had the chance, he used to ask for one from Sonic. Closing his eyes, the blue hedgehog listened to Shadow's tune and added in when the black hedgehog paused. Soon enough, there was another voice joining in from the Black Arms, one filled with clicks and croons. And another, and another, and before long, the Black Arms that were still awake were all humming.

Together with the cave echoing their voices, it was loud enough to drown out the rain and even the distant thunder. Sonic smiled gleefully when he felt Tails melting in his arms, completely relaxed and his breathing turned deep and even. He lowered his voice before stopping, and Shadow also stopped once he noticed, though the Black Arms continued to enjoy themselves.

"Thanks Shadow," Sonic whispered. "I can't believe I forgot that Tails loves lullabies. Always puts him to sleep straight away."

"A lullaby… Is that what it's called?" Shadow asked quietly.

"Yes… A lullaby is a song that puts people to sleep," Sonic explained. "I remember, even before I met him, Tails have always loved lullabies. It…it probably is something from his childhood."

"His childhood?"

"His younger years, when he was much younger from now," Sonic replied with a nostalgic yet pained smile. "I don't know what happened, but all I knew was when I first met him face to face, he…well, the other kids…they were picking on him."

Shadow was quiet, but it was a quiet that patiently waited for Sonic to continue. A glance at the black hedgehog showed attentive garnet eyes staring at him. The gaze was light though, not pressing or demanding, and Sonic felt relaxed as he leaned back, against Crimson-Streak. He held Tails closer to him and continued.

"It wasn't a light thing either. Those kids were brutal. They threw stones at him, called him names, jeered at him, hurt him…" Sonic's eyes were stormy and dark, a scowl forming on the usually-smiling face, an unsettling sight. Shadow had never truly seen Sonic angry; sure, the hedgehog got annoyed sometimes, but anger?

It could possibly be the first time Shadow saw it this way, staring into those dark, dark eyes.

"…It…" Sonic took a deep breath to calm himself. Having Tails' quiet breaths, Shadow's warm presence and the Black Arms still singing did help somewhat. "It wasn't exactly the first time though. That would be when I was on Westside Island… I was running, when I noticed that I was being followed. Of course, I was suspicious; I've already…I've already made an enemy by that point. I tried to lose him, but he kept up, stubbornly. It was when I managed to trick him that I realized, the one following me was not…was not one of my enemy's, but a two-tailed fox kit, barely five years old."

Sonic snorted at the memory, an amused smile on his face. "I remember being so surprised…"

"Because of his two tails?" Shadow asked, remembering when he himself had been surprised as well during their first meeting. The fox with two tails. And more shocking yet, he could fly with them!

"Well…a bit because of that," Sonic agreed. "But it was mostly because of how young he was, and how he could keep up with me. I was already breaking sound barriers by then, so to find someone who could somewhat keep up with me… It was a surprise."

Sonic paused for a moment before he continued on with his story. "Anyways, the little kit just ran away from me. I didn't try to follow, since it wasn't any of my business, and continued to explore Westside Island…before I came to one of the villages, where I saw him being picked on by the other kids."

Sonic breathed in sharply, but even that didn't quell the flames inside his chest. "What they were doing is wrong, Shadow," Sonic growled. "Treating someone like that is wrong, but he was a _kid, a kid Shadow!_ And the adults were doing _nothing._ They just turned away, pretending that they couldn't see a kid being hurt, a kid crying out for help, a kit in pain!"

The nearby Black Arms that could hear the story let out a menacing growl, low enough that only Shadow and Sonic heard them. Crimson-Streak nearly snarled as she curled tighter around the three mobians, while Ruby-Claw's namesakes flexed irritably.

Shadow could see Sonic's anger boiling out, those eyes so dark that their green color was almost gone. Without hesitation, he reached out and grasped Sonic's hand, holding it in a firm grip. "Settle down," he growled lowly, directed at the agitated Black Arms, before adding, "Hedgehog," in the same tone.

The Black Arms yielded to their leader, but Sonic continued to glare at nothing. Shadow frowned and rumbled, "Hedgehog, calm down. What happened after that? You must have done something."

"I did!" Sonic snapped, as if the words broke the dam holding back his words. "I charged right in, scared those kids off good. The kit was still shaking. He was shaking the entire time I brought him back to my plane. He kept crying out at night, and whenever I approached him, he would curl up, hands over his head, as if I was going to hit him! He was terrified of me Shadow…"

Shadow's hand gripped tighter, determined to be an anchor to stop Sonic from drifting away into an ocean of anger. The black hedgehog also leaned closer, his taller height allowing him to press his chin on top of Sonic's head and let out a soft reassuring rumble. It was a gesture he had seen before within his pack, to settle down the young ones and calm them.

The sound at least seemed to bring Sonic back to the present, where Tails was safe, asleep and not terrified out of his mind.

"Hedgehog," Shadow sighed. "…If the story makes you angry, you don't have to tell me."

There was a brief pause between them before Sonic shook his head. "It's alright. The story gets better." He met Shadow's gaze and offered a tentative smile. Shadow merely returned the gaze calmly and blinked slowly. It reminded Sonic of a cat's slow-blinking gaze, a thought that brought a slight humor. "Anyways… In the morning, when he woke up, he was still scared, but I offered him some food and didn't hurt him, so he opened up. It was a slow process though…"

Sonic closed his eyes and remembered the past, times when Tails was still hesitant to call him brother, let alone use his name. The fox kit was wary, afraid, and grew even more so after accepting Sonic's offers of friendship. He was so scared that Sonic might take away the fragile happiness he had as a cruel joke, but it took one stormy night to prove once and for all that no, Sonic would never take away his happiness. The hedgehog was just going to add more and more to it…

And when Sonic called him little brother for the first time… It was as if seeing the sun rise for the first time. Those blue eyes shone so brightly… Sonic never regretted it, never regretted anything that had to do with Tails, except maybe the bad experiences. But he was glad to have met the little brother he never thought he would have.

Shadow listened to it all, keeping his thoughts to himself. And when Sonic finished, all he said was, "You really care about the fox." And that was all Shadow needed to say. Sonic already knew it, and he was sure the fox knew it as well.

The glimmer slowly coming back to Sonic's eyes showed that he understood. "Thanks…for listening."

Shadow snorted and turned away, to which Sonic smiled. "Well, since the storm's not going away for a while, I might as well get comfortable."

And before Shadow could react, Sonic leaned in closer, pressing his body against the other hedgehog. Water was soaking through his black pelt, but it didn't bother Shadow, as he was more focused on the hedgehog next to him. Sonic usually did this, leaning against others. Shadow seen him do it with his pack members and even with himself (though Shadow usually pushed him away whenever that happened). As such, when Sonic did it again, Shadow was about to reach out and push him away, but before he could, Sonic whispered, "I know you really like your personal space, but it's nice leaning against you like this. Somehow, it always feels...safe."

Shadow paused, his hand hovering over Sonic for a few moments before he finally placed it back down on the bedding. "Why would I feel safe?" he grumbled. "You're a foolish hedgehog for thinking that I, of all people, am safe."

"But you are," Sonic chuckled. "You always have my back, whenever we're out adventuring or otherwise, especially even when I least expect it." Emerald eyes twinkled as they met their garnet counterparts. "I trust you, Shadow."

 _"I trust you..."_

Again, that voice...and despite the different colors, both images overlapped; the same look in their eyes, the same expression, though the moment only lasted for a brief second before Sonic chuckled nervously, breaking away the overlap. "A-Anyway," he started, breaking their gazes ( _though instead of scrambling away like he used to, he_ stayed next to Shadow). "So, what do you guys do during storms?"

Shadow blinked, a bit caught off-guard by the sudden question, but snorted dryly and gestured at the sleeping Black Arms and Tails. "Sleep," he added. "Which I suggest you do too."

Sonic seemed startled by the suggestion, eyes darting between himself and Shadow. After a second, he grinned sheepishly and said, "I rather not. Sleeping too long gives me headaches. Besides, it isn't even night yet."

"The other alternative is doing nothing," Shadow deadpanned.

"Never say nothing!" Sonic grinned. "Since I just told you the story of how I met Tails, why not tell me a story of your own?"

A story? Shadow's first answer was to refuse, but the look of dawning resignation on Sonic's face (he knew that Shadow was going to refuse...) made him stop and reconsider.

...

"...Alright, hedgehog."

* * *

 **Hope this satisfies your prompts, SharpDragonKlaw! I hope it wasn't too cliché, with the lullaby thing and all, but I did want to have a filler with Shadow showing some care for Tails, and it just wrote by itself (if this fanfic gets some good responses, I swear, I'll be letting my hands do the writing next time). Also, it is a bit more in Sonic's P.O.V, so I couldn't really put in the Black Arms' words (then again, if I did, I would have to rate this fanfiction M since they certainly don't have nice words to say...), but they were listening to the story!**

 **Now, for that flashback, and for every flashback Shadow might have -** **When Shadow's memory got wiped, they were wiped good. So now, during flashbacks, he could only see blurry figures, some defining features that he remembered strongly, and he couldn't really hear their 'voices', just have an impression of the words or tune, so he can't tell their gender. Most of his flashbacks will be like that; not purely memory, but more of a very strong impression made on his mind. Of course, how he'll get those memories back...**

 **I'll still have to figure that part out...**

 **Anyway, look forward to the next (and last) filler! If you have any prompts of your own, please send them at 30 DAYS, not at this fanfic.**


	11. Filler 3

**Alright, I'm here, with the last filler (for now) of this fanfiction! This one is done from a prompt by GuardianDragon98. Sorry it took so long, but I was travelling overseas for the last four days, so I missed the chance to update (since I didn't bring the laptop along with me).**

 **Review responses!**

 **Leodragon678: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you liked it.**

 **ThinMintE06: I'm glad you like the interaction between Sonic and Shadow. They've been growing closer by that time. Shadow now accepts Sonic being close to him, and he doesn't question it too much since he has experienced the same contact with his pack members before. But Sonic is still flustered and shy. Wonder why~? And yeah, the Black Arms are a close-knit family, and they have 'adopted' Sonic and Tails into their pack! Though what do you mean by 'online skates'?**

 **SharpDragonKlaw: I think I already replied to your review...? I might as well say it again though! Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you like the filler for your prompts!**

 **Now, on with the last filler!**

* * *

FILLER 3

The highways of the jungle – that was the canopy – rarely had disturbances that weren't a part of the natural order. With how high it was, only the most excellent climbers could reach those immense heights. The Black Arms, definitely NOT climbing creatures, never bothered with the upper world above the ground; why do so when there was already plenty of food on the ground to be found?

And as such, Shadow also followed their example: feet on the ground, with the most example of climbing being walking the mountain paths. By the time ten years had passed, it became an unwritten law of sorts.

And of course…he should have been prepared.

He already knew that Sonic could break laws (and according to Tails, he could break more than the simple laws of the jungle Shadow followed, which he was not keen on finding out). So of course…it was inevitable that the crazy blue hedgehog would somehow find a way to get Shadow up into the trees.

Which was exactly the situation Shadow was currently in.

It was also a particularly humiliating situation; the black hedgehog was clinging onto the trunk, shoe-clad feet firmly stuck to the branch (which was actually high…very high…), wary garnet eyes alternatively glaring at the ground and at the blue hedgehog jumping about in the trees like one of those monkeys. To an outsider, he looked too much like a reluctant pup clinging to its mother, which was NOT what he intended to look like, hence the humiliation.

Sucking in a breath, he turned his glare upwards. "Hedgehog… Get. Me. Down!"

"Aw, but Shads, the fun has barely started!" Sonic protested, landing on a branch above Shadow and hooking his legs around it so that he could hang upside down from it to see Shadow's glaring face. "I promise, you'll love this! Gliding on rails is just like skating!"

"How is… _this…_ similar to _skating?_ " Shadow bit out as his claws dug in deeper into the bark. He didn't care for the sap that was staining his fur and claws; he just wanted to get off this…this insufferable tree!

"You won't find out if you keep clinging onto the trunk like that!" Sonic replied as he swung back into an upright position on his branch while extending a hand out to Shadow. "Come on, just a bit more to go!" he encouraged with a warm smile.

The black hedgehog grumbled, glaring and feeling regret for everything. _'I really should find a way to refuse the hedgehog at this rate,'_ Shadow thought. _'Perhaps this might not be so bad? After all, not everything the hedgehog does is bad. Maybe this might be one of his better ideas…'_ Of course, Shadow wasn't entirely convinced, but it was just enough. Slowly, he took Sonic's hand, to which the blue hedgehog's smile brightened.

With a grunt, the blue hedgehog pulled him up onto his branch. "Alright, it's just five branches above us," Sonic noted as he leapt upwards. He still hadn't let go of Shadow's hand, so the black hedgehog hurriedly followed Sonic's movement lest it ended with him losing his balance and falling off. Sonic took about two branches at a time climbing up, so in no time at all, he and Shadow were there.

"Check it out!" Sonic exclaimed, waving his free hand at the canopy level.

The canopy level was unique. Human scientists would probably be scratching their heads at how this development even took place. Throughout the entire jungle, large thick branches spread out, entwined with each other like huge serpents without care for the trunks from which they grew out of. And the way they wound and snaked through the jungle…yup, definitely unique, since there were somehow loop-de-loops and other sorts of twists as well. Moss and other vegetation covered these branches, making them slippery. Vines were quite plentiful too, creating natural curtains at some points from how numerous they were.

And together, they all made a level that would be a parkour's dream course.

Or perhaps a nightmare of Shadow's.

"No."

It was a flat statement that conveyed the immeasurable depths of just how much Shadow didn't want to be there, didn't want to do this. Years of instincts had him instantly cataloguing every possible threat. Those vines looked like they could choke anyone unfortunate to barrel through them. The branches looked completely unpredictable, and please be reminded that said branches were several feet from the forest floor. One slip-up and it might be the end.

"You won't know until you try!" Sonic persisted optimistically. "Now, let me show you how to _really have some fun!_ "

It was only then that Sonic noticed that he had been holding Shadow's hand the entire time. It sent a fluster across his face, but he was already moving and easily slipped out of Shadow's grasp (it helped that his sap-stained hands and Sonic's own stained gloves made it easy). Without another word, he hopped onto the nearest branch and started speed-gliding across.

"Hedgehog…" Shadow growled, but Sonic was already lost to the wind, whooping and cheering. His blue pelt stood out amongst the greenery, so Shadow could easily see Sonic's slim form dancing through the vines and across the branches.

Now, Shadow could admit that it certainly looked interesting ( _and a part of his mind could admit that seeing Sonic almost flying across the branches with the agility of a leopard in the trees was a sight that was anything but bad_ ). But, after another glance down at the ground that was very, very far away, Shadow shook his head. Since Sonic wasn't helping him getting down, he would just have to do that himself...

But how? He had no idea how to climb trees, and he wasn't going to risk by jumping down the branches like Sonic was doing...

 _'Ah...'_ Garnet eyes honed in on the nearest vine lying over near the tip of the branch Shadow was standing on. He may not be able to climb trees, but he did knew how to swing across vines...

Carefully, he bended his knees and reached out, taking small slow steps at a time to get closer. Once his fingers brushed against the vine, he smirked victoriously and boldly stepped forward to grab it firmly. He stood back up, holding the vine in two hands and tugging it to make sure it was not going to snap or break.

Once he was sure, he took one last survey of the ground before jumping off the branch, using the rope to shimmy down. At first, he kept his hands loose, taking advantage of the gravity to reach down faster.

Unfortunately, he had forgotten to take into account that his hands were stained with slippery sticky sap, or that the vine itself was also slippery. So slippery hands plus slippery vine equals minus stickiness factor of the sap. So all of that plus gravity equals…

He was nearly at the end. His hands tried to grab onto the vine. But his fingers failed him. The vine slipped out of his grip. Shadow's eyes widened in surprise, as he started falling for real.

 _'Grr… Now what?!'_

"Shadow!"

The shout drew his attention to the blue hedgehog diving off the branches. "Hedgehog, are you an idiot?!" Shadow couldn't help but growl angrily while Sonic fell faster, now just within reaching distance.

"I'd like to think myself as being smart, thank you!" Sonic replied cheekily as he grabbed Shadow's hand. "Hold on tight!"

Just as he said that, Shadow could feel their fall slowing down. A glance at Sonic showed that the hedgehog was holding a vine with his other hand, and using it to swing back up.

"You might want to jump Shadow! Now!"

Shadow grunted as his eyes scanned the leaf-littered floor for an easy landing spot. Once they saw a softer patch of ground, the black hedgehog immediately seized the opportunity, letting go of Sonic's hand and using the momentum to get himself over to that spot.

The soft patch turned out to be the edges of a mud puddle, and it cushioned his fall. Sure, his shoes and legs got stained with mud, but it was a much better alternative. Shadow inwardly sighed in relief as he got up from his crouch.

"AHHHHHHH!"

That scream was followed by a hurtling blue hedgehog heading towards the mud puddle itself, and a spectacular wave of mud resulting from the landing, coating the two hedgehogs.

Shadow breathed sharply through his nose in exasperation. He didn't mind being covered in mud; it was something regular when living in the jungle. But that didn't mean he liked the feeling of his fur getting caked and stiff when the mud dried.

Still, he couldn't get mad with Sonic, not after the blue hedgehog saved him. _'Besides…the hedgehog is in a worse state than I am.'_

Indeed, when the wave died down, Shadow could barely make out Sonic's blue pelt and quills when they were covered so much in mud that they almost disappeared against the brown surroundings. Only his eyes and some patches of fur that survived could be seen.

"Ugh…definitely not the best landing I ever had," Sonic remarked with a groan as he looked down at his mud-covered fur. "At least there're no broken bones involved, so I'll give it a pass."

Shadow grunted in agreement as he approached the hedgehog. He reached down to grab Sonic's hand and pulled him up, steadying him when Sonic nearly slipped on the mud and fell back into the puddle. "Thanks," Sonic said with a smile as he found his footing.

"...I should be the one thanking you hedgehog, even though I didn't need it," Shadow huffed reluctantly as he released Sonic's hand. "...We probably should wash away the mud."

"Yup! I don't know about you, but mud-caked fur isn't exactly a look I want," Sonic joked as he stepped out of the mud puddle, biting back a grimace at the heavy feeling in his fur and quills.

"Follow me. I know a place."

* * *

The quiet roar of a waterfall soon reached their ears and Shadow quickened his pace. He was eager to get rid of the mud, seeing that it had already dried in some parts. As for Sonic...

 _'A waterfall?!'_ Flashes of the last time he fell into a waterfall played in front of his vision. _'Take a breath Sonic. It's alright! It'll just be a quick wash! I'll just stick to the edges and wash that way...'_

Sonic breathed in and out, trying to calm his heart before it raced out of control. He could do this. He had survived going through Eggman's water bases before. He had survived being near water bodies before. He could do this. This would be a cinch! There would be no Chompers, traps, bombs, currents or Eggman to worry about...

Just drowning, losing air, the air bubble just within his reach that floated away, and feeling himself sink, being unable to reach the surface again...

 _'No!'_ Sonic inwardly growled while shaking his head. _'I won't even be going into the water. I'll just stick to the bank. Sure, it'll take longer to wash all this mud off me...'_ Another look at the state of his fur showed that it would take a long, long time to get all the mud off. But when comparing his fear of water to his impatience, he could deal with the latter better.

Just as he managed to wrestle down his fear, Sonic noticed that he had arrived.

It was a lake, with waters so clear ( _that he could see the bottom, and despite knowing that he wouldn't go into the lake, he still couldn't help the shiver that crawled down his spine when he noticed that it was deep...nearly three times his height..._ ) and teal. Small schools of fish swam peacefully while the miniature waterfall rushed down, filling the lake and making it trail away into a stream. Rocks and stones smoothed over by erosion lined its banks.

Shadow was already in the water, scrubbing the mud off his fur. When Sonic stepped onto the bank, the black hedgehog glanced up, but he didn't say a word and went back to washing himself. Sonic took that as Shadow not minding what he did and edged closer to the water. He crouched down and took off his gloves, before scooping up water with his hands and splashing his fur.

The quiet sounds instinctively drew Shadow's attention, and once he saw just how Sonic was planning on washing himself, the black hedgehog frowned. "Just get in hedgehog. We don't have all day."

Sonic jolted and looked up at Shadow, giving him a grin (one that was just a tad twitchy, to Shadow's keen eyes). "A-Ah, I'll be quick! I don't have to wash off all the mud either; just enough so that I can get back to Tails and wash up there!" Sonic reasoned (read: excused) himself, splashing more water on his arms.

Shadow frowned deeper, perplexed. He waded over to the blue hedgehog, drawing Sonic's attention. But even Sonic was surprised when Shadow's arms suddenly reached out and picked him up. "S-Shadow! What are you doing?!" the blue hedgehog asked as he squirmed in the other's firm hold.

"Since you're being stubborn, I'm taking matters into my own hands," Shadow replied as he waded back into the water, causing Sonic to squirm even more.

"S-Shadow! There really is no need for this!" Sonic tried to reason with Shadow while also using more force. But Shadow had him in a iron-grip hold that prevented the blue hedgehog from moving too freely. "S-Sha..." Sonic trailed off, his struggles slowly ceasing once he realized that they were in a deeper part of the lake, the water level now rising up their chests, and that Shadow was the only thing stopping Sonic from sinking to the bottom. Once that realization struck, he clung onto the black hedgehog with all his might. "Don't drop me..." he pleaded through gritted teeth.

Shadow raised an eyebrow at that, now more confused. "Just what is wrong with you hedgehog?" he asked lowly. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Yes there is!" Sonic yelped back, his heart now racing like a fleeing hare. He pressed closer to Shadow, chest to chest with peach-furred arms wrapped around black shoulders.

"It's just water," Shadow reasoned, confused over why Sonic, the hedgehog he knew could and would jump off mountains and cliffs and do crazier things while coming out unscathed (for the most part), would be afraid of water of all things.

"Seriously, Shadow...just...just put me back on the bank, alright?"

Shadow paused at that. He looked at Sonic, and he noticed. It wasn't hard to see the trembling in the mud-caked quills, hear the quiver in Sonic's usually-confident voice and feel the racing heartbeat from their close contact once Sonic wasn't squirming around.

The black hedgehog bit inside his cheek while his mind went through several thoughts. It was then that he remembered. Sonic once told him that he couldn't swim. _'He couldn't swim...maybe he's afraid because he can't do anything in the water?'_ Shadow tried to imagine it, being unable to swim. He had always known how to, but there was more to water than just swimming...

( _If he really thought back, he could faintly remember the sensation, of that blue rushing inside him, choking him, bringing a strong sensation of panic and fear, when he first opened his_ eyes...)

"Hedgehog," he started, bringing emerald eyes to look up at him. "You don't have to be scared of water. Here..."

His hands slowly travelled up. When the support of his hands moved away, Sonic yelped and pulled his legs up to cling onto Shadow's waist instead. "What are you doing?!"

"Just trust me," Shadow murmured, stroking the blue fur as he moved his hands up to Sonic's arms. "Now, I need you to let go of me."

"Are you crazy? No way!"

"You have to. Otherwise, how am I going to teach you how to swim?"

Startled emerald eyes locked onto serious garnet. "...Shadow, don't. I really, really can't swim," Sonic protested, even as Shadow's hands wrapped around his arms.

"...How will you know if you've never even tried?" Shadow asked in return.

Sonic snorted bitterly at that. "Don't you think my friends had tried to teach me after they found out? It's impossible!" he bit back, grimacing as he remembered the numerous attempts his friends made in trying to get him to swim. They all didn't work; Tails used so much terminology and other big words that nearly all of the explanation just flew over Sonic's head and the blue hedgehog made a break for it; Knuckles just tried to toss Sonic into the water and get him to learn how to swim on his own, which just backfired after Sonic got his revenge; Amy...that part, Sonic did NOT want to recall.

"But I haven't tried yet," Shadow pointed out, though he made no move further than holding Sonic's arms in his hands. "Hedgehog, you'll have to relax. Otherwise, you'll sink and drown."

"That isn't helpful Shadow," Sonic groaned, his quills showing just how tense he was. "How am I supposed to relax?!"

"...You'll have to trust me on this then." The two hedgehog locked gazes, Sonic once again frozen from the intensity in Shadow's eyes. "Do you?"

"..." Sonic's emerald eyes flickered briefly, but the hedgehog still spoke. "Remember, five days ago, when I came to you with Tails during the storm? I said it back then, didn't I?"

"You'll have to mean it this time Sonic," Shadow persisted, while Sonic's eyes widened in surprise at the black hedgehog finally using his name. But the surprise only lasted for a while. Shadow was serious about this. "So, do you really trust me?"

Sonic's gaze wavered between Shadow and the water. When Sonic said he trusted Shadow back then, he meant it. But then again, he hadn't been thinking of this situation. The only thought that came closest to this was that he trusted Shadow to save him if he ever got into trouble...

 _'Which Shadow will do when you sink. He isn't going to leave you to drown,'_ a voice in the back of his mind piqued up.

That made Sonic's mind up and the blue hedgehog nodded his head. "I do."

Those red eyes softened slightly at the admission and Shadow's hands started moving, pulling Sonic's arms away from his shoulders. Sonic winced, but he made no move to struggle. "You'll have to relax," Shadow reminded as he released Sonic's arms, though one hand just transferred its grip to Sonic's hand. The hold seemed to reassure the blue hedgehog, and Shadow was able to remove Sonic's legs from his waist more easily. Without all the support, Sonic tensed.

"Hedgehog, the water isn't deep. Just stand."

Sonic blinked and noticed that his feet was able to touch the bottom of the lake. They weren't at its deepest part yet. Slowly, he relaxed, but rather than his feet still touching the ground, he started to float.

"Don't panic," Shadow warned, his hands moving to support Sonic by his back and knees. With the security of a safety 'net' under him, Sonic managed to relax again, though he tensed whenever he felt Shadow's hands starting to move away.

The black hedgehog frowned and tried to think of an idea. _'I need to make him stop thinking about my hands moving away. Something to distract him with...'_ "...Just..." Shadow picked through his mind for an idea. His memory went back to five days ago, when after Sonic told him how he met Tails, Shadow told him a story in return. Only, he left him on a cliffhanger (not that it was Shadow's fault since Sonic did fall asleep halfway through). "Remember the story I was telling you five days ago?"

"...Well, yeah...but you didn't finish it," Sonic replied, though he was inwardly confused on what Shadow was trying to do.

"That's because you fell asleep," Shadow retorted dryly while moving his hands slightly away from Sonic. The blue hedgehog didn't notice it. "What do you remember from it?"

Sonic's brow furrowed. "I remember you telling me about Red-Tail...about when you first met him?"

"Yes," Shadow agreed. "It was a surprise, seeing Red-Tail for the first time. He was unlike any other creature I've seen, and even back then, I knew he was different, different from the rest..."

Sonic listened as Shadow retold of his first face-to-face encounter with the Black Arm that was now his best friend and second-in-command in his pack. Slowly getting absorbed in the tale, he didn't even notice as Shadow's hands completely leave him, letting Sonic float on his own. Shadow did though, and after he finished with the part where he and Red-Tail spent the day fishing together, he gave Sonic a smug smirk. "Well, looks like it isn't impossible to teach you how to swim...or float at least."

Sonic's eyes widened and he gasped in delight when he realized that yes, he was indeed floating. "Chaos, Shads! I...I can't believe you did it! I'm...I'm actually floating! Me! Not even sinking like a rock!" A surprised yet gleeful laugh escaped the blue hedgehog as he looked back at Shadow with shining eyes and a wide smile. "Thank you, really!"

Shadow just smirked back as he let himself float as well, swimming over to Sonic. "Now, just get used to floating. We'll tackle swimming later."

Sonic's ears twitched in excitement. He couldn't believe it! He was actually learning how to swim! He! The hedgehog everyone knew was afraid of water and could only sink! But it was really happening! "Come on Shads! Can't we learn now?"

Shadow hummed and turned to look at Sonic. The blue hedgehog was certainly looking eager and lively. It didn't look as if he was going to panic and stop floating... "If you're so sure of yourself hedgehog..."

* * *

Throughout that day, Shadow did his best to teach Sonic how to swim. Since Sonic was already physically fit from all the running and moving around he did, all that was needed was just teaching him how to move his arms and legs. Since Shadow didn't know that there was more to swimming than the very basics, it was a short lesson.

("Just move your arms like this..." Shadow moved his arms in a stroke. "And kick your legs up and down." His legs demonstrated the instruction. "And of course, try not to sink.")

Yes, it was that short. But since Sonic wasn't exactly planning on doing fancy stuff while swimming (he'd be glad just to know the basics if he could help it), it was enough. And by the end of the day, as the sky started reddening, the two hedgehogs were heading back to the den. The water had mostly dried from their fur, leaving their pelts damp and clean. Their shoes, socks and gloves were washed as well, though faintly stained brown from the mud. Sonic was smiling the entire time, still on the euphoric high of learning how to swim (and also from the water fight that resulted after Sonic accidentally splashed Shadow).

"That was fun!" he chirped, grinning at the memory. "We should do that again sometime."

"After you learn how to swim underwater," Shadow replied in return, a finger digging into his ear to get rid of the water still stuck in it. "Then you MIGHT be a challenge."

"Aw, you know that move wasn't fair!" Sonic retorted. "You didn't have to pull me underwater like that!"

"At least you're not afraid of water anymore."

"Yeah..." Sonic's smile returned, one that was softer. "And I have you to thank for that. So..."

Shadow jolted in surprise when Sonic suddenly tackled him in a hug. He at least managed to keep himself upright, blinking in surprise at the hedgehog embracing him. "What the...?" he murmured quietly.

"Thanks for your help Shads. You really did me a solid there." Sonic looked back up and gave Shadow one last grin before he moved away. "Now let's get back! Can't wait to tell Tails!"

As Sonic walked away, Shadow stood there for a few seconds, blinking at the warm feeling in his chest and the faint heat in his face. While wary at what these new sensations were, Shadow didn't mind them.

Really...it felt nice.

* * *

 **And that's it! That's the end of the fillers section! Chapter 9 (one month after the events of Chapter 8) will be coming out after this! Hope you enjoyed the little detour!**

 **Now, here's a little something else.**

(First time typing this part)

Yes, it was that short. But since Sonic wasn't exactly planning on doing fancy stuff while swimming (he'd be glad just to know the basics if he could help it), it was enough. And so...

 _Congratulations. Sonic just learned the move Doggy Paddle! Level up!_

 **While I'm sure it would be absolutely hilarious to put this part in, some might not get the reference or might not even like it, so I'll just put this in the bloopers section (though could this be called bloopers? Maybe 'extra'). Have been watching some Pokémon anime before typing this, hence the sudden urge to add this part.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed this filler! Also, the story Shadow was telling Sonic in Filler 2 and here is from Origin, the story where Shadow first came to the island.**

 **See you, in Chapter 9~!**


	12. Chapter 9

**Here we are with Chapter 9! Now, before you start reading, here's a warning.**

 **THIS IS AN AU. A VERY ALTERED UNIVERSE. WHERE THE EVENTS HAPPENED AT A DIFFERENT TIME PERIOD.**

 **Remember Chapter 8? There, I mentioned that the ARK was created 25 years ago, not 50, and it isn't a typo. Which means the ARK was abandoned 10 years ago instead. Those 10 years began from the time Shadow arrived onto the island to the time when he met Sonic and co. After I figure out if giving you the exact timeline wouldn't be spoilers, I will put it up.**

 **Review responses!**

 **GuardianDragon98: Sorry to have kept you waiting! I just felt like your prompt would be the best to end the fillers with, since it would show just how close Sonic and Shadow are close to the end of the month. And thank you for your review! You're amazing too :)!**

 **SharpDragonKlaw: I agree; FINALLY! I mean, different series have different takes on Sonic's actual fear of water, which just makes me want to scratch my hair off. Just HOW FAR DOES SONIC'S FEAR OF WATER GO?! Ugh...** **And the story idea came from Filler 2, when I ended it with Shadow telling Sonic a story. I actually had a hard time thinking of a distraction, but when I remembered the ending of Filler 2, I found it. Thank you for your review!**

 **ThinMintE06: In-line, right! And they sure do like each other~! And the chilidogs from Chapter 2? I remember that you gave a prompt for it. I was saving it for 30 DAYS, but right now, it's a choice between Sonic having eaten them after reuniting with his friends and the dogs still not being eaten yet, waiting for an unsuspecting victim to discover their horrible state XD. And if you ever do parkour in that jungle, remind me to come along. I'll just be the spectator though XD.**

 **Now with all that said, let us begin!**

* * *

Chapter 9

One month later…(from Chapter 8 that is!)

"Sonic, we're ready to go!"

Tails looked mighty proud of himself as he manned the cockpit, running his fingers over the new controls and switches. The X-Tornado had gone through an extreme transformation. Now, it was a large space ship, renamed the Blue Typhoon, complete with its own weapons and even a hangar for future vessels. Tails might have gone a little too far with the construction, having too many ideas that wouldn't fit in a smaller transport.

It was a miracle that no one seemed to notice the huge space ship on the island just yet.

"We're here bud!" Sonic called out as he boarded the ship, letting out an appreciative whistle at the major transformation it went through. Sure, he did see some parts of its construction, but for the most of the month, he had been spending time with Shadow, so most of the ship was still quite new to him.

Behind him followed Shadow, glancing warily at the inside of the space ship. He had only seen the vehicle from afar, never getting close enough to see for himself (he never got the chance either way, with Sonic dragging him off to another adventure every day). The scents and sights of this huge metallic structure were completely different from the green jungle and nature he was used to, making him feel slightly unbalanced.

"Alright then, we're ready for takeoff," Tails alerted the two hedgehogs, causing Sonic to hop into his seat with Shadow following suit. "Next stop, Space Colony ARK!"

Shadow gripped his seat tightly as the ship started moving. Other than that one time when Sonic and he rode a log down a river, he had never been on something that was moving on its own, and especially moving upwards. For a minute, all the ship did was rise slowly, but he had a feeling it wouldn't be that way for long. "Alright, we're going to accelerate, so brace yourself guys!" Tails warned, confirming Shadow's suspicions. He gripped the hand rests even tighter, his inhumane strength starting to dent the material.

"Hey Shads, take it easy there. You're going to crush the seat at that rate." Shadow blinked at Sonic's voice and looked under his hands. Sure enough, he could see their imprints, and slowly, he released his grip, unhooking his claws and leaving behind puncture holes where they dug into the hand rests.

Sonic was impressed (and frankly, also just a little alarmed) at the results left on the seat. He knew Shadow was strong (he had seen the guy literally hold up objects that would weigh as heavy as a bus), but seeing it again still surprised him, especially since Shadow was mostly in control of his strength and displayed something like this so rarely. _'A competition of strength between him and Knuckles would be a sight,'_ he thought. _'Shadow might even go toe to toe with him.'_

"Is…traveling to space always this…this uncomfortable?"

Shadow's question brought Sonic out of his thoughts. He turned to the wary hedgehog and gave him a reassuring smile. "It's a little strange at first, but you'll get used to it. Heck, you probably won't even notice anything later on. It's just the initial takeoff and the re-entry that's a little bumpy. So, you're excited for this?"

"You know the answer to that, hedgehog," Shadow growled back as they hit another turbulence, nearly startling him enough to sink his claws back in the hand rests. The sky outside was rapidly darkening and a breath got caught in his throat once he started to see stars. He only saw them at night, so seeing them now when he knew it was still day time (to him at least) was a new experience. And the sight sent a stronger sense of nostalgia.

"We're almost out of the atmosphere guys," Tails informed the two. "I'll engage the gravity mode, so you can take off your seat belts now. We'll arrive at Space Colony ARK in around...five hours if we accelerate."

Sonic grinned as he undid the clasp on his seat belt. Then, just as Shadow copied Sonic, the blue hedgehog sped over to the controls and easily found the gravity button (clearly labelled as such). Before Tails could stop him, Sonic pressed the button, de-activating the gravity mode.

Shadow barely bit back a yelp of surprise when he suddenly started floating. His feet left the floor and he tumbled through the air. Surprised by the sudden phenomenon, he couldn't stop himself from bumping into everything as he tried to get closer to Sonic, glaring at the laughing blue hedgehog for good measure. Only Tails remained close to the ground, having his seat belt still strapped on.

"What is this?" Shadow growled, knowing Sonic probably had something to do with this (as with everything the black hedgehog had been dragged into for the past month).

"Zero gravity!" Sonic exclaimed as he somersaulted past Shadow, dodging the black hedgehog's grasping hands. "When we're in space, there's no gravity pulling us down!"

Shadow hissed when his momentum carried onward without stopping. Righting himself, he reached out to grip the closest stable object, which was the hand rest of Tails' seat. He clung onto it with all his might and tried to get his feet to fall back to the ground, only to find them floating back up stubbornly. "Fox, do something about this."

"Oh come on Shads! Liven up a little!" Sonic laughed, floating upside down in front of Shadow. "It's not so bad."

"Maybe not to you, but I prefer having my feet on solid ground."

"Come on, just for a while! It'll be fun!" Sonic demonstrated such measures of fun by spinning head-over-heels. "Betcha' can't do this for three minutes straight!"

"We can use that rolling maneuver of yours, hedgehog," Shadow deadpanned, referring to the spin-dash. "Doing a challenge like this is a waste of time if we can roll for more than simply three minutes."

"Oh, you're right!" A mischievous grin promised something worse than the easy challenge. "Then space tag! You're it!"

Sonic did the one thing that always irritated Shadow. He tapped on the black hedgehog's nose and swiftly pushed himself away so that he was out of range of the other's grasping hands. Uncontrollable laughter escaped the blue speedster as he dodged Shadow's hand, which was easy considering that Shadow was still clinging onto the hand rest. "Can't catch me!"

"We'll see about that, hedgehog!" Shadow growled lowly. With some reluctance, he released his grip on the hand rest and his quills bristled at the sensation of floating weightlessly. But before he could concentrate too much on that fact, Sonic reached out and flicked Shadow's ear, which distracted him quickly. "Touch my ears again and I'll wring yours!" Shadow threatened as he reached for Sonic again.

"Aw, you'll never do that to poor ol' me, will you, good buddy Shads~?" Sonic teased, enjoying the riled up expression on Shadow's face. The blue hedgehog knew he would pay for pushing so many of the black hedgehog's buttons, but he didn't care at the moment. Besides, Shadow needed to loosen up, so Sonic did one of the things he knew how to do best; distraction.

Which was why Tails allowed the two their game of tag, one that lasted for a rather astounding period of four hours, until it nearly escalated into a pinball match.

"Stop it, alright?" Tails cut in with a stern frown (as stern as he could with his too-youthful face at least) before spin-dashing hedgehogs could go flying around and destroying the Blue Typhoon. "Here, I'll activate the gravity mode." Before Sonic could protest, the fox pressed the button and Shadow sighed as his feet touched the ground and stayed there. As for Sonic though…he had been floating upside down before the gravity button was pressed. As such…

"Ouch!" Sonic yelped as he hit the floor face first with his feet flopping over, much to Shadow's amusement. "You could have waited a bit more to do that, Tails…" he groaned.

"Sorry Sonic," Tails apologized sheepishly while Shadow just snorted mirthfully.

Sonic glared up at the amused black hedgehog. "Have some sympathy for the injured hedgehog, wouldn't you?"

"I'm sure you get plenty of it from the fox already. You don't need more to make you lazy," Shadow retorted as he marched past the hedgehog and headed back to his seat, ignoring Sonic's mock-hurt expression. "Besides, I don't think a little fall like that hurt you enough to garner my help."

A teasing grin replaced the mock-hurt look. "Is that an indirect compliment?"

A dry look was what Sonic received for his question, but the blue hedgehog still smiled as he got back onto his feet.

* * *

"Alright guys, we're approaching the ARK now."

The two hedgehogs looked out of the glass cockpit at that. Sure enough, they could see a sphere-shaped structure coming into view, its appearance bearing an uncanny resemblance to the moon. There were some floating debris around it and even from the outside, it looked abandoned; there were no lights, no signs of it being used.

It took a while for Tails to find a good enough place to dock. The ARK's hangar was too small to house the Blue Typhoon, so in the end, Tails ended up parking the ship right outside the ARK, carefully choosing a spot where the ship wouldn't be in plain sight. "We won't be able to hang around the ARK for long. Not only would we get noticed if we stayed too long, it takes some power to keep the ship like this without floating away, and we still need power to get back to Mobius. I say we have an hour max to explore," Tails explained as he adjusted the controls. "Alright, let's get on board the ARK."

"You'll need this Shads," Sonic said as he handed Shadow a strange white object. The black hedgehog fiddled with it curiously, seeing that it was mostly flexible, with a rigid clear material stretching across on one side. Connected to it by a rope-like object were a pair of containers, thin and heavy. Looking back at Sonic, Shadow saw that the blue hedgehog had put the object on his head while strapping on the two containers.

"It's a space helmet," Tails explained as he put on his own. After pressing some buttons, his voice came out again, only from the white object in Shadow's hands and slightly distorted, like the voice coming from those devices Shadow learned were called communicators. **"In space, there's no oxygen, so we can't stay out there for long without suffocating. That's why we wear these helmets. They're attached to these oxygen tanks so that we can breathe while exploring space. And since there's no air in space, there're no particles for sound to travel through. That's why-."**

 **"We got it buddy!"** Sonic cut in, having put on his own helmet as well, and Shadow noticed that the flexibility of the white material allowed him to put it on without having problems with his quills. **"We need the helmets so we can breathe and talk in space. Now let's go!"**

Shadow quickly put on his helmet at that, but he struggled to get his quills in. He was being as careful as possible, not wanting to tear the material with his quills, but it wasn't helping if his quills were soft and not firm enough to stretch out the material.

 **"Just stiffen your quills, Shads,"** Sonic chuckled as he reached over to help Shadow. **"These helmets are mostly quill-proof. They won't tear so easily. But don't stiffen them too much either."**

"That's a bit of a contradiction, hedgehog," Shadow grunted as he followed Sonic's words. And carefully, he was able to put on his helmet. Sonic finished the job by strapping on the containers for Shadow, careful not to squish his back quills, while pressing the buttons needed to allow Shadow to hear and speak.

 **"Alright, we're all set!"**

The three mobians headed towards the space just under the deck. Taking the elevator, they soon found themselves on top of the deck, right out in space. Shadow nearly shouted in surprise when he found himself floating again, just like before in the cockpit with that anti-gravity thing. But thanks to that experience, he didn't end up floating too far before righting himself and following Sonic and Tails.

Once he caught up to the two, Sonic sent him a grin. **"Betcha' glad we had that zero-gravity tag now!"** he teased, doing a little somersault.

 **"Best be careful though,"** Tails warned. **"Since there's nothing to really hold onto, it's real easy to float off into space. It helps to have a group explore space at a time, so that if one of them gets into trouble, the others can help."**

 **"Unless ALL of them get into trouble, like now!"**

At Sonic's shout, Shadow and Tails turned to see one of the debris, like a large rock, floating in their direction. **"Here, grab onto me!"** Sonic called out, extending a hand to his friends. Tails immediately took the offered hand and Shadow took Tails' hand, forming a chain. As soon as they did, Sonic started pushing himself out of the way of the debris while pulling his friends along. His free hand reached out for a protruding piece of the ARK, and once that hand got a good hold, he let out a grunt of exertion as he yanked his friends over.

Tails made it across safely, but Shadow wasn't as lucky. The debris was almost right at him.

With a narrowed gaze, Shadow reacted. Holding up his bare hand, he summoned all the Chaos Energy he could and shouted, **"Chaos Arrow!"**

Gold energy crackled and sparked before forming into numerous projectiles. One Chaos Arrow was weak, but a rain of them could be devastating. They launched themselves at the debris and caused a silent explosion upon impact. It was only thanks to Tails' grip on his other hand that Shadow didn't end up floating away. He did get pelted by the pulverized debris, but that was better than being hit by a large one.

 **"You alright, Shads?"** Sonic asked as Shadow made his way over to the ARK. His expression was full of worry, taking in the slight pallor of the black hedgehog's usually-tanned face. He knew that while Shadow could use Chaos techniques (they had been practicing whenever they could during that one month), they always drained him, and it usually took more than one ring to get him comfortable again.

Shadow bit his lip, but he didn't answer. He just focused on stopping himself from blacking out.

Sonic took that as a 'no' and narrowed his eyes. **"Tails, do you have any-?"**

 **"Right here,"** Tails replied, holding out a remote. **"Like the X-Tornado, the Blue Typhoon can send us a Power Ring whenever we need it."** With a press of a button, one of the numerous hatches in the Blue Typhoon slid open and shot out a glowing Power Ring at their general direction. Sonic took a chance to grab it and Tails pulled him back by his leg.

 **"Here Shads. It's only one ring, but it should help,"** Sonic said as he handed the black hedgehog the ring. Shadow took it gratefully and sighed as the power rushed through him. Indeed, one ring wasn't enough to satisfy the ache inside him (which just kept growing with every time he used a Chaos technique), but he couldn't stop now...

 **"Let's get in, get what we need, and get out,"** Tails remarked as the three made their way into the open hangar of the ARK, much to the agreement of the other two.

* * *

It was not long before the trio found themselves in the hallways of the ARK. The metallic surroundings were dusty, with some debris scattered here and there. It was eerily quiet, with only the faintest hum of machinery being the only thing that signified that the ARK was still functional. It certainly gave off strong vibes of being abandoned.

Tails pulled out his Miles Electric and opened a downloaded map of the space station. "OK, so the central control room is where we need to go," he began, showing Sonic the screen and pointing at the aforementioned location. "With any luck, we'll be able to find all we need there. If not, we might have to go to the laboratories, which are here." Tails pointed to the lower levels.

"Got it!" Sonic agreed with a thumbs up. "You ready to go, Sha-." He cut himself off when he noticed that the black hedgehog was walking away from the group. "Shads? Hey, where are you going?"

The black hedgehog was either ignoring Sonic or was in a daze for he didn't even show a sign that he heard Sonic's words. He just kept walking down the hall, which planted a seed of worry in the blue hedgehog. Turning to Tails, he told the fox, "I'll go get him. You go on ahead to the room. We'll catch up."

"Alright," Tails agreed, blue eyes also staring in worry at the retreating black hedgehog. "But if you guys need anything, just call."

"Will do," Sonic nodded before jogging off after Shadow. Tails watched the two hedgehogs disappear down the hall before turning the other direction and heading for the central control room.

The journey, when done on his own without Sonic and Shadow to talk to, made the quiet even more oppressing. It did not help when the hallways would turn to glass, when the fox could see the vast expanse of space and be reminded that sound did not exist in its vacuum. It made the fur on the fox's neck stand and urged him to hurry.

He passed by several doors, which led to rooms that his map said were dorms, living spaces for the scientists and others living on board. It made him curious; just how did these scientists live on the ARK? Were they all humans? Were there any mobians here? What did it feel like, living on a space station?

Taking a closer look, he noticed that each door had a name plaque. Tails blinked and continued heading down the hallway, scanning the name plaques. Most names he did not recognize, though there were a few that he knew from reading articles. It made him itch to try entering the room and see what they had.

But no name made him itch more than the one at the very end.

 _Shadow the Hedgehog_

 _'Is this Shadow's room?'_ Tails wondered in awe. From what he knew, he thought Shadow had been in his capsule the entire time he was on board the ARK. He never thought that Shadow had actually been released, becoming a resident and even having his own room.

Now definitely unable to resist, Tails pressed a button next to the doors. They slid open with a quiet hiss and the fox peeked in, some part of him still nervous that he might be intruding. But curiosity was a strong force and gradually, Tails got over his nervousness and his nosy side kicked in as he took in the room.

Just like the rest of the ARK, the place was covered in a layer of dust. It was relatively Spartan; bare of all but the necessities. A bunk-like bed, a bedside drawer and what seemed like a hybrid between a locker and a closet were all that was in the room. Tails' ears twitched and the kit approached the locker/closet. It took a bit of strength to pull open its doors, as they had not been moved for ten years. But when they gave way, they swung open, nearly knocking into Tails had the fox not predicted it and moved away in time.

After the small cloud of dust from the movement settled, Tails took a look inside.

The objects were mostly free of dust, the tightly-shut doors having protected them. There were several books lined on the shelves, titles ranging from novels to science textbooks. Stationeries were stored in a different shelf with what looked like blank books (though some books were filled with writing, which Tails' polite side stubbornly insisted that the fox did not look).

And on the back of the doors, Tails' eyes widened at seeing several black-and-white photos yellowed with age carefully stuck onto the surface. Most were arranged neatly and carefully, but there were a few that were almost haphazardly stuck on.

 _'Shadow will DEFINITELY want to see this!'_ Tails thought in excitement. _'These might give him clues to what his past was...'_

At that thought, Tails frowned. Technically, they were trying to find Shadow's past. However, after the fox came across information about the ARK in general...

 _'Well, while these would give Shadow information on what he did in his past, it still wouldn't explain everything,'_ Tails reasoned. _'Information about his creation, the reasoning, all of this wouldn't still be explained...'_

Tails nodded to himself and gently shut the doors. He quickly left the room and continued to head to the central control room. There was information to be found, and even if it would not be directly related to Shadow's past, it did not mean the information should be left alone. After all, something must be up if the human government had been interfering.

 _'Let's see how GUN was involved with the ARK...'_

* * *

 **Go Detective Tails! Find out the information that will be VERY NECESSARY in the future!**

 **Now, to people who might be confused, after Tails inspected the capsule, he had come to several conclusions, conclusions he had not exactly told Sonic or Shadow just yet. After all, think about it.**

 **1) A military organization of the human government is involved in the ARK, but there isn't much information about it shown to the public. If their involvement is something good, why should it be hidden?**

 **2) Shadow is a project that has connections to creatures Tails is sure are aliens, and not just any harmless aliens, but aliens that apparently gave Shadow super strength, Chaos abilities, super speed and enhanced senses and reflexes, and is called The Ultimate Lifeform. Kinda alarming there, don't you think?**

 **Conclusion: Something is DEFINTELY UP. And Tails will follow it down like a fox down a rabbit hole. He may be a genius, but he is also a kid; curiosity still has its grasps on even adults, so Tails is no exception.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	13. Chapter 10

**OK, I'm really, really sorry that I haven't updated this fanfic in a long time, but that's because I was concentrating on my other fanfic that I have cruelly abandoned for this fanfic. But now, it has around the same number of chapters as From the Wilderness, so I can get back to this!**

 **Review responses! (NOTE: I'VE RECEIVED YOUR REVIEWS FOR 30 DAYS, BUT TO AVOID CONFUSION, I'LL REPLY TO THEM WHEN I POST 30 DAYS CHAPTER 3! PLEASE WAIT AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEWS!)**

 **ThinMintE06: I'm glad you like the chapter! Yup, because I can totally see the two literally start a pinball match from their competitiveness (though I wonder if Shadow (either this AU Shadow or canon Shadow) would be opposed to a pinball match in the casino-themed zones XD). As for the chilidogs, I say there's still a chance they might be eaten. Black Arms don't mind whether their food is half-rotting or not after all...**

 **And yeah, I'm really making things either easier or harder for me with Tails finding Shadow's room and seeing the memory stuff, because if (and very much when) Tails shows what he found to Shadow, a large piece of his memory will be filled. Who knows whether that will help Shadow in the future or not~?**

 **SharpDragonKlaw: Oh, he's bound to find something alright. GUN is barely reliable at their very best and completely incompetent at worst (big examples being mistaking Sonic for Shadow even though it is blatantly obviough and the ARK 'accident'), so there's probably something they have left behind. And for your second question, here's the chapter that will answer it all!**

 **Now, hope you'll enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 10

Just as Tails headed off in the other direction

"Shadow?" Sonic called as he caught up with the black hedgehog. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked when once again he saw no reaction to his voice. Emerald eyes shone with worry as Sonic moved so that he was in front of Shadow. "Shads~!" he added a whining tone and a goofy grin that hid his worry, hoping that it would get a reaction of the black hedgehog.

However, Shadow merely moved around Sonic, as if he didn't even notice the blue hedgehog in the first place. Still, it gave Sonic a chance to see the dazed expression on Shadow's face, and that just spiked his worry. _'What's wrong with Shadow?'_ he asked himself, staring at the retreating hedgehog before shaking his head and following after Shadow.

Shadow's eyes remained dazed, a far-away look in them that made it seem as if whatever Shadow was looking at was not even with them. It was partially-true; what Shadow was seeing was definitely far away...far away into the past, but still on board the ARK.

 _'These halls...these walls, I know them,'_ he thought, seeing ghostly flashes of himself walking down the same path. The once-near-silence of space was swallowed up by a faint and dull commotion, of footsteps and low chatter, punctuated by the thump-thump of (not) his shoes. In addition, there were other white-colored flashes all around. Shadow couldn't see them as clearly as he could see himself; they seemed like people, but tall and their faces blank and blurry until there was no distinguishable feature other than the white they wore.

Some headed in the same direction as his memory, others the opposite, but in both cases, they all made a clear path for the black-and-red flash that was Shadow's memory. The sight made him feel cold...and alone.

 _"Shadow!"_

With that gossamer-fragile voice that kept haunting his memory flashes, another ghost appeared, one with vibrant colors of blue and gold. The ghost reached out and grabbed memory-Shadow's hand, and Shadow hummed in content, feeling a warmth emit from the same place...

"Shadow."

Garnet eyes blinked. For some reason, the voice sounded different from the first one he heard. More familiar and solid, like a steady rock that he could rely on. The ghostly images faded just slightly as Shadow turned his eyes away from them and to his hand, where another - a gloved hand - was holding it. His eyes looked up at the owner of the gloved hand and the dazed look deepened. For some reason, he couldn't see the hand's owner quite clearly; it was as if looking at two images overlapping each other.

 _"Shadow, let's go to the observation deck! Grandfather said that we can finally use it!"_

The top image, the ghost with blue and gold, then pulled away, but Shadow's eyes followed it, almost instinctively. The ghost-like figures became clearer once more and continued down the darkened hall. Shadow continued to follow them, but his hand tightened its grip, not wanting the comforting warmth to leave.

 _'What's going on?'_ Sonic wondered as he followed Shadow, his hand in an iron-strong grip that didn't hurt, but wouldn't be so easy to break away from. It was a surprise when Shadow actually turned to look at him when Sonic grabbed his hand, and it was even more surprising (and perhaps a bit unnerving) to see the dazed look deepening rather than lightening. To be looked as if he was invisible...Sonic didn't know how to react exactly, but he did know that it was not something he was happy about. But Shadow didn't let go even when he looked away from Sonic...

 _'Enough about that,'_ Sonic told himself with a shake of his head. _'Now I gotta figure out just what has Shadow acting like this...'_

Sonic took another look at Shadow. This time, he took in all the details. He knew Shadow was dazed in some way, looking at the hall with eyes darting here and there, as if seeing something Sonic couldn't since when the blue hedgehog looked, the hallway was empty. Yet Shadow reacted, moving to avoid unseen obstacles. And despite being dazed, Shadow's steps didn't falter and remained straightforward, with all the intent of moving towards a destination.

 _'Maybe he knows where he's going,'_ Sonic guessed. _'...When Shadow said he lost his memory, I thought he lost it for good... Perhaps he's actually remembering something? He did say he had memory flashes before... But I've never seen him while he was having a flashback or something, so I don't even know if this is him having a memory flash or something else...'_ Sonic's free hand briefly ran through his quills, fingers brushing against the communicator resting in them. _'Maybe I should call Tails about this. He might know something.'_

But before Sonic could, Shadow suddenly jerked to a stop, a quiet gasp escaping him. "Shadow?" Sonic automatically asked, taking the gasp as a positive sign that Shadow had snapped out of whatever this daze thing was and returned to the land of living.

"...Hedgehog..." Shadow's voice rasped out, and Sonic nearly hugged him right there and then. He never thought he would be so glad to hear Shadow call him 'hedgehog'. "I...I know this place."

Shadow continued walking, his hand still holding Sonic's and thus pulling the blue hedgehog along. The two strode across the large observation deck, following the all-glass walls until they reached a spot that was facing towards Mobius.

And the memory came to Shadow.

He remembered, once, he would stand here, at this spot for hours on end, just content to watch the blue planet. And he would wonder endlessly. Just what was it like to see the trees, the sky, the earth, walk on the grass and earth, breathe in air that actually moves, feel the wind, the sunshine and the moonlight, see how the sky changes from day to night? There was so much he wanted to know about the planet...

And there was also...

Shadow grunted, feeling his head ache. The memory was there, but just then, it felt as if he slammed into a wall while skating at full speed. And the memory was gone, leaving behind only the faint impression and a chill in his bones...

"Shadow!"

The shout just added to the disappearing memory and Shadow growled. He turned around, but paused when he saw the worried expression on Sonic's face. Relief was added though once Shadow turned around, but even then, the worry was still there. "Shadow! I've been calling you for a while already, but you didn't seem to hear me. What's going on?" A free gloved hand reached up and cusped Shadow's face. "And you look pale... Are you alright? Is it the Chaos drain? Or...a memory?"

"..." Shadow remained quiet, staring back at Sonic without answering or even saying something. Sonic bit his lower lip, feeling something inside him lurch at seeing just _how...tired_ Shadow's eyes were. They were usually so intense, always lit with a flame. But now...

Shadow sighed silently and gradually turned back to gazing at Mobius. "...Sort of."

"...Can you tell me about it?"

Sonic's arm pressed against Shadow's as he moved closer, his warmth chasing away the chill the black hedgehog felt. Shadow pressed back, though his eyes never left the glass.

"...In a way," Shadow sighed. "I don't know who the others are. But there were so many white-clothed people. They avoided me. There...there was only one who didn't. I don't know who it is though, just that they seem to favor gold and blue."

Shadow took a pause before continuing. "This person, they are the person that appeared the most in my memory. They felt important. But I never remember exactly who they are." He gestured towards the observation deck. "The memory I remember is of this person and I being here. We...we would be here for hours, just staring at that."

"Mobius?" Sonic asked for confirmation.

"Yes," Shadow nodded, recognizing the word. "I...I wanted to go there. And...and I think the person wanted to as well. I'm not sure though. The memory stopped there."

"...I'm sorry," Sonic murmured, moving away slightly.

"Don't be," Shadow rumbled lowly. "The memory stopped before I heard you."

"Right…" Sonic sighed, before turning to Mobius. A faint grin spread across his face. "You know what? When this is all over and done, why don't we go?"

"Go?" Shadow asked, glancing over at the blue hedgehog in confusion.

"Yeah, go explore Mobius. You said you wanted to, right?" Sonic laughed, turning an excited grin towards Shadow. "After all, who's the say that after we get your memories back, it will be the end? Why should it be? After this is all done with, I can show you Mobius! And…" A thoughtful look crossed Sonic's face. "This person you're talking about…maybe we can find them?"

Shadow startled at that. Surprised garnet eyes turned to Sonic, and to the blue hedgehog's confusion, while there was a small flame of hope, there was also a rather strange crushing defeat, resignation, something like…

 _'Like Shadow doesn't believe that this person could be still alive…'_

"I mean, Tails said the ARK was shut down…ten years ago, right? It shouldn't be that long of a time, so maybe, since you managed to get off the ARK…that must mean there are others who did as well, right?" Sonic asked gently, a slight furrow in his brow. He didn't know if he should be doing this. Was he just giving Shadow false hope? What if this person…wasn't there anymore? Shadow would be devastated...

But Shadow already looked pretty devastated, and Sonic was sure that just confirming his fears wouldn't help on that front.

"I don't know much about the accident on the ARK, but maybe there are survivors? Tails might know more… Still…" A determined look met Shadow's quiet assessing one. "There must be someone out there who was from the ARK like you. Maybe it would help? If you could meet someone from your past…"

"…I don't know," Shadow replied, a hard frown on his face. "I…I really don't feel like I know anyone else on the ARK." He remembered the emotion he felt when he was among that group of white-clothed ghosts as he walked down the hallway. It was cold…and lonely.

Sonic must have noticed the faint shiver (how could he not, with his arm pressed close to Shadow's?) because he pressed even closer. "Hey, it's alright…" Sonic murmured. "It's your choice. But know that you aren't alone. So…if you ever feel like you want to talk about it, or anything really, there's your pack, Red-Tail and Sun-Spoor, and us too! Just say the word!"

"…Hmm."

Shadow pressed back, and Sonic grinned, correctly translating that as Shadow saying 'thank you'. A few seconds of comfortable silence passed before a mischievous look glinted in Sonic's eyes as he added, "I mean it. You can tell us anything…even if it is admitting that you have a sweet tooth!"

Sonic laughed as he allowed himself to be caught by an embarrassed Shadow. "Why should I admit it? For the record, how do you even know?!" Shadow growled, keeping one arm around Sonic's neck while gripping the blue quills in another hand.

"Oh come on, we all knew it! Ever since we saw you first ate that chocolate cake, not just one slice, but the WHOLE cake! We knew it!" Sonic kept cackling even as Shadow's claws started digging lightly. Since they were pricking his quills, he didn't feel it, and besides, he trusted Shadow not to hurt him too badly. "Don't worry, we still think you're a badass…even if you have a sweet tooth!"

"You're going to pay for this hedgehog…" Shadow growled with no real heat, and Sonic was glad to see that his garnet eyes weren't as tired as they were before.

 _'I took his mind off it for now…'_ Sonic thought, though it was not with concrete relief. Shadow wasn't sad…for now. But Sonic knew that the topic wasn't over. It wouldn't be, until Shadow got all of his memory back AND sorted through them. _'Well then, I'll just have to keep cheering him up, distracting him whenever he needs it!'_

"Well then!" Sonic spoke up, wriggling slightly to see if Shadow would let go of him. The black-furred arm loosened its grip and Sonic slipped out of the hold, shaking his quills slightly. "What do you say? Explore more of this place or find Tails and see if he found anything?" he asked.

Just as Sonic asked that, a beep came from his communicator. "Oh, speak of the fox… Hey Tails! What's up?" Sonic asked, pressing a few buttons so that the communicator was on speaker and that Shadow could hear what Tails was saying as well.

 **"Sonic, I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"**

"The bad news I guess," Sonic replied with a shrug. "What about you Shads?"

"Either news is fine hedgehog. Why should it matter which news is given first?" Shadow grunted, stepping closer to Sonic. "Just get on with it, fox."

 **"Alright then. I'll start with the bad news."**

* * *

Tails glanced back at the computers of the central control room, winced at the very, very empty databases, and turned back to the communicator. "There's nothing on the computers here. Nothing at all. Everything has been deleted, cleaned, wiped off. Not even a single file remains. And the weirdest thing is that the files have been recently wiped. Recent, as in just a few days ago… Someone has been up here or perhaps has accessed the databases and deleted them, _just a few days ago._ "

 **"…That's more than just weird, Tails. That's just plain fishy."**

"I know Sonic," Tails agreed with a frown. "But here's where the good news begin. Apparently, before the delete that happened a few days ago, there was a delete that happened ten years ago, when the ARK was shut down. That one wasn't as good as the recent delete. Whoever did it left traces, and what do you know?"

Tails grinned as he opened up his Miles Electric. "Those traces lead all the way back to the human government, GUN, the same government that shut down the ARK. Now, this is another long shot, but GUN might have some files about the station. I mean, if I were them, I would probably have a copy of the information on hand while making sure the originals get deleted. Of course, as I said, it is a long shot."

 **"But it is a shot that we're going to take! The longer the shot, the more chances it has of working!"**

Tails laughed sheepishly. "That's not how a long shot works, Sonic... It's just only around you that it works that way."

 **"That's why we're going to take it! Long shot or not!"**

 **"A shot is a shot hedgehog. It's either a hit or a miss. What does being long or short has to do with any of it?"**

 **"It has everything to do with it Shads! Like, if your target is further away, isn't it harder to hit it?"**

 **"You just need to put more power behind the shot then. And make sure to aim right. It'll hit."**

 **"...With your super-strength, I guess that's true..."**

 **"Hmph! Of course it is true."**

 **"Only with you. Not with us!"**

"Alright, alright," Tails sighed, interrupting the two. "Now, there are other good news as well. The central control room's computers may be wiped clean, but I haven't checked the rooms yet. There might be written information there. Ten years isn't long enough to make paper decay. It won't be easy to sort through them all, but it's worth a try."

"And for the last piece of good news...Shadow, you'll be glad to hear this. I found your room on the ARK!"

* * *

"Here it is!" Sonic called out, waving his hand at the name plaque. "Heh, it's even got your name on it, literally!"

Shadow's eyes scanned the strange symbols written on the plaque. He never learned (remembered) how to read or what the letters were and what they meant. It was one of the things Sonic never got around to teaching him. Yet seeing the name plaque, it made his instincts curl up happily, agreeing readily that _yes,_ this was _his. His_ name. And as such, Shadow took the time to memorize the symbols while making a mental note on getting Sonic to teach him what they mean.

Once he was done with that, he pressed the button Tails said would open the doors. They opened with a hiss that startled Shadow, revealing the sight of the dusty room. Once his garnet eyes landed on the inside, Shadow was struck by how _everything_ breathed of familiarity. And unbidden, the knowledge came to him almost instinctively.

He remembered (sort of; he remembered the experiences by how they imprinted on him, the emotions and feelings that came with them rather than all the details) the first time he was given this room. It had been disorientating, different yet exciting. He had his _own room._ Now, he had something else to call as his own (something else? Does that mean he had something else before he had this room?).

But the initial excitement soon faded away, dimming down to a contentment. While this was _his_ room, he never really felt at _home_ here. This was just a place for him to keep what was _his_ and sometimes, a place to spend the night. Still, there were enough fond experiences here that Shadow felt comfortable, stepping into the area ( _his_ area) with ease.

"Whoa..." Sonic whistled, glancing around the dust-covered room as he slowly followed Shadow in, a habit he unconsciously developed whenever it came to intruding what was clearly Shadow's territory. Sure, the black hedgehog had become more tolerant, but it was a habit by this point and Sonic didn't entirely mind ( _oh, he would definitely mind if it was particularly unreasonable, but in this case, this was the furthest from unreasonable_ ). _'It's rather...bare, but it seems to suit Shadow to a T. Just the slightest hint of personality showing on a stoic blank canvas...'_

Shadow walked further inside, heading for his bed and sitting down on it. The mattress below was hard and quite dusty, yet it still had that same slight softness at the middle that resonated with familiarity and a sense of dry humor (something about how all beds in the ARK were like this, and that someone couldn't be bothered to make them more comfortable? He couldn't remember the exact joke, but he definitely remembered there being one). Garnet eyes then landed on the bedside drawer and his hands reached out instinctively for the topmost drawer. With only a very slight moment of fumbling with how to work the drawer, he pulled it open, revealing objects that gleamed in familiarity.

"What are those?" Sonic asked, coming over to stand next to the bedside drawer. His emerald eyes widened in surprise when they saw the four gold-colored rings resting on top of several pairs of faintly-dusty gloves. "Are those...Power Rings?"

"…No. They are..."

The words trailed away, replaced by the words his mind brought up.

 _"These are your Chaos Inhibitors Shadow. They will help you prevent your Chaos Energy from leaking unless you are using it. Whenever you need to use a lot of Chaos though, feel free to take them off. Just click it this way, yes, like that, and they come off, see? Here, I also have a spare set, in case you need it. Keep them close Shadow..."_

The voice was different, more reminiscent of an ancient tree than the gossamer-faint voice he had been hearing for so long. It reminded him of Fire-Streak, the first elder Black Arm he met. His instincts felt the urge to trust the voice inexplicitly, and almost unknowingly, he had already put on the golden rings. And as soon as the last ring was clipped on, Shadow breathed out in relief. He could feel it, his Chaos Energy no longer a rushing river that was difficult to hold back, but a calm stream that was more pliable to his will. "Good... They still work."

"What are they?" Sonic asked again, reaching out to brush his fingers against them in curiosity. "They look a lot like Power Rings, just smaller."

"They are...Chaos Inhibitors," Shadow replied, recalling the words from the memory he just received. "They'll help with my Chaos drain problem."

"That's good!" Sonic grinned, relieved at hearing that. Now, he wouldn't have to worry about Shadow collapsing after unleashing just three Chaos Spears during practice. _'Knuckles will be pleased too. I know it bothers him, seeing Shadow so drained like that...'_ Shaking his head, he continued on as if he hadn't been lost in thought. "Now, why don't we open that closet-thingy that Tails was talking about?" he asked, already moving towards the 'closet-thingy' in question.

Shadow nodded and stood up, briefly shaking the dust off himself. Without much fanfare, he pulled open the doors…

And the memories hit him hard when he saw the age-old photos.

* * *

 **Oh boy, this will be fun… You know what's coming up next chapter: MARIA!**

 **I swear, writing this chapter was like pulling out teeth; an unpleasant business that dragged on longer than it should. But for heck, I'm gonna do it because it has been two weeks! TWO WEEKS! I swear…*grumble grumble***

 **Now, I should probably tell you this; the reason behind Shadow getting his memories back is because of Chaos Energy healing his brain. If the games can make it the one-ticket solution to EVERY problem in the Sonic universe (Sonic Forces don't count, because WHERE THE HECK WERE THEY IN THAT GAME?! WHY HAVEN'T THE OTHERS SEARCHED FOR THEM?! WHAT ABOUT THE FREAKING MASTER EMERALD! KNUCKLES! WHERE IS IT?!), it can be a solution to Shadow's amnesia.**

 **Anyway, the Chaos Energy heals Shadow's brain, things related to his memories trigger them happening, but haphazardly (again, everything is more of an impression made on him and Shadow's picking up on those impressions. The imagery and details will come gradually).**

 **Another thing: if anyone wants to know how Shadow discovered his sweet tooth, you'll have to wait for me to put it up on 30 DAYS. Stereotypical of me to make Shadow like sweet things, but my head-canon is that Maria introduced Shadow to sweets and Shadow found himself some favorites among them (chocolate being one XD).**

 **Alright, see you guys next time!**


	14. Chapter 11

**Righty-o! I bring you another chapter and some news.**

 **First of all, sorry about the hiatus. As said, I ran out of brain juice. Now though, the brain juice is coming back (though only for From the Wilderness, unfortunately). The rest of the news will be at the end of the chapter.**

 **Review responses!**

 **GuardianDragon98: Oh, you're quite right. The trigger I set up is strong, so the memories coming to him will be like a sledgehammer to the head.**

 **ThinMintE: …I hope I haven't been butchering your name? *clears throat* Anyway, I love chocolate the most out of all things sweet. And Chaos Energy is a bit mind-boggling for me, because there are so many questions, like, where did Chaos Energy come from in the first place? What is it? What is its purpose? Does it help the planet or something? Or is it just an energy source that is there? (This is probably why I have so much fun making things up for my AU in Where the Wind Blows about Chaos Energy). And actually, *sheepish* the delay is because I was updating Where the Wind Blows. I have been ignoring that fanfic for too long…** **L** **.**

 **SharpDragonKlaw: Thank you for your review! And yes, I love chocolate cake too! There's DEFINITELY going to be a 30 DAYS chapter about that cake XD!**

 **Now, on with the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 11

When the memories hit Shadow, they were anything but organized and gentle.

They certainly did not come in a chronological order with some pauses to let the hedgehog take it all in before pushing another memory at him.

No, it was as if a dam that had been holding back an enormous reservoir of water burst, during a storm when the water was turbulent. The already-cracked block in his memories was suddenly gone, broken by the trigger of seeing not just the photos, but the books and other objects stored in _his_ closet ( _everything that was his had been stored here, and they all carried memories and itwasallcomingbackatoncetoomuch!_ ).

It was a chaotic rush. _Everything_ came in all at once, until one memory overlapped the other, the lines in between blurring to the point of being non-existence. Soon enough, it was all one gigantic mess, and the _assault_ (because what else could all this information being poured into his brain all at once be called?) on his brain resulted in a near-migraine.

The colorful flashes hurt his eyes, even if he closed them. The incomprehensible babble of several voices talking and shouting at the same time hurt his ears, even if he blocked them with his hands. But how could he block out these flashes and voices, when they were not outside, were not tangible? It was much, much worse than the time when the Black Arms would try to talk to Shadow at once, because while there were many voices, they didn't _hurt._

 _But these voices hurt. They kept on changing, making the hurt worse. They made him feel warm, so warm and happy that he wanted to drown in it, but then changed, until it was cold, so cold and lonely, and angry, furious, enraged, like he just wantedtoTEARTHEMTOPIECESANDITHURT-!_

"Shadow!"

The voice seemed to cut through the pain and alternating anger, reaching Shadow and pushing away the rest. The black hedgehog gasped and latched onto the voice, trying to concentrate on it.

"Come on Shadow, snap out of it! You're going to hurt yourself at this rate!"

 _'Sonic…'_ Shadow thought, as warm, warm, _warm hands_ held onto him. He gripped them hard in return, faintly hearing Sonic's quiet pained gasp. But the warm hands did not let him go.

"Shadow, come on, calm down…" Sonic's voice was a lifeline to Shadow as he clung onto it with all his might. Slowly, so very slowly, the babbling was dying down, the flashes slowing down until they were not a muddy blur of colors. And as if a filter had been placed, the babbling was starting to make sense, and it was no longer the hurt, the cold or the angry.

No, surprisingly, these, no, there was only one voice now, and this voice was warm ( _the voice that dominated most of the warm, warm memories in that terrible rush_ ). Shadow remembered it belonging to the blue-and-gold ghost. But this time, he could hear its tone, _her_ tone, and he _remembered…_

* * *

 _"This is your new room Shadow! It even has your name on it."_

 _Young Shadow looked up at the name plaque in surprise and perhaps a slight bit of awe. He turned to the girl (his precious, precious friend, one who smiles like the sun, and Shadow could_ finally _see her face and how could he have forgotten her?! The sister of his heart) beaming at him and looked back at the doors. "Go on," the girl encouraged. "Just press the button!"_

 _Young Shadow reached out and carefully (carefully, don't use too much pressure, remember what she taught you, be careful) pressed the aforementioned button. The doors opened with a faint hiss and-_

* * *

 _The memory changed, the overlaps causing a transition that Shadow didn't know where it began and ended._

* * *

 _"Shadow, grandfather is looking for you."_

 _Young Shadow (perhaps older than the first memory-Shadow) looked up from his books (all about subjects that were strange yet familiar, an oxymoron Shadow got used to whenever it came to his memories, and they looked complicated, messy; Young Shadow didn't have the best handwriting). She was standing at the doorway of his room, though certainly not standing_ still. _Rather, she was almost vibrating in excitement, one that made both Shadows smile inwardly._

 _"Professor?" Young Shadow asked as he memorized the page numbers before sliding off his chair and following her._

 _"Yes! He has something for you!"_

 _"What is it?"_

 _"Ah, that's what you're going to find out!" Mischief shone in those blue eyes (and Shadow was suddenly reminded of another pair of eyes that had the same look in them, only greener) and the hand (warm, just like his, Shadow mused) grabbed his. "Come o-!"_

* * *

 _Another transition and the voice suddenly disappeared._

* * *

 _Young Shadow (and Shadow) found himself in a strange place. It was dark, cold and he_ ached _terribly. He curled up, finding his injuries healing slowly but steadily (Shadow growled, something about this memory stoking the angry fire inside him, made him want to_ burn _)._

 _But the dark was chased away, a beam of light illuminating a familiar figure standing in front of him._

 _"Are you alright Shadow?! Oh, let's get you to grandfather…" Hands reached out to help him up, but Young Shadow wouldn't allow them. No, these hands, they belonged to his precious friend (sister of his heart, his_ family _), and he would not burden them. No, he would be strong._

 _That was why he was made. He was (he (I) still_ is (am), _Shadow thought) the Ultimate Lifeform. He was created to-_

* * *

 _Another transition, and Shadow felt a lingering sensation of having missed something_ important, _something that he_ should _know. He grimaced and tried to retrieve that memory again, but-._

* * *

 _"Happy birthday Shadow!"_

 _Her voice startled him and he looked up, immediately reacting to the call of his name like a second nature, and found a startling contrast from the dark and dreariness he was looking at before. Now, there was a persistent warm feeling in his chest as he took in the new surroundings._

 _They were in an empty room. Shadow couldn't see its details; everything was blurry except for the two standing in front of him, illuminated in the candlelight. Her face was bright and cheery, while the other (Shadow could see his face as well, and he was reminded;_ father-figure, Professor, the elder of his family, something important, his pur- _), despite his face mostly covered by that familiar bushy mustache and dark blue glasses, gave off the same happy feeling._

 _Young Shadow gave a confused look (no, not young anymore, Shadow thought, feeling something inside him lurk at the darkened corners in his (my) eyes, eyes that had seen the abyss and never recovered, and that look, that_ wariness and disbelief, _as if this moment could easily be snatched away). He moved towards the two and both Shadows could see that the candlelight was coming from the candles on the chocolate cake._

 _"You might say that you don't have a birthday, but isn't the day you first woke up the day of your birth?" his heart-sister spoke, both a question and an explanation. "Congratulations! You're officially five!"_

 _"Well, in terms of years at least," the father-figure (Shadow frowned, but he couldn't grasp the name of his family's elder) added. "As soon as he hits twenty, he'll stop aging."_

 _"But a birthday is still a birthday, grandfather! And it should be celebrated!"_

 _Young Shadow gave a small smile, and after the two sung him 'Happy Birthday', he closed his eyes. Shadow remembered this, remembered that wish he made._

 _'I wish I can go to Mobius with Maria.'_

* * *

 _And as the candles were blown out, the memories ended._

* * *

"Shadow, come on..."

The black hedgehog groaned, feeling a combination of being utterly miserable (he could blame that part on the horrible headache he had without hesitation) and at ease (the memories were painful, but after the…initial burst, he could feel the ones he remembered settle down, as if slotting themselves into place). Garnet eyes slowly blinked open, taking the time to adjust as the images overlapped (the image of his room in the past overlapping with that of the present).

Once he had firmly anchored himself in the present, Shadow finally looked at Sonic.

The blue hedgehog looked pale, eyes shining in worry and relief once he noticed Shadow coming out of…whatever memory-trance he had been in (Sonic really needed to talk to Tails about this, because he _hated_ being unable to help Shadow). "You alright?" he asked, needing to say something to convey the badly-bottled-up worry.

"…Yes…" Shadow breathed out, eyes widening when his nose caught a strong stench of blood. His eyes immediately followed the origin of the scent, and an apologetic hiss escaped him once he saw that he had been gripping Sonic's arms the entire time, to the point where his claws actually sunk in and broke through the skin to draw rivulets of blood.

Sonic looked down as well and gave Shadow an honest grin. "No worries. Just a bit of scratches and blood," he chirped, even as Shadow carefully extracted his claws to make sure he did not cause any more damage (the scratches looked bad enough already, though it might just be from the blood). "It's you I would be more worried about… Before, you were hurting yourself, gripping your head like that."

Shadow blinked and reached a hand up to his head. His palm brushed against something faintly wet and he hissed again, noticing that he had also injured himself.

Sonic gave a relief-induced grin and stood up (it was only then that Shadow noticed both of them had been kneeling on the floor, their legs now covered in dust and a bit of blood that managed to drip down. "We better clean this up; don't want Tails to worry when he sees us like this."

Shadow stood up and turned to the closet. Thankfully, the sight of his belongings didn't cause another trigger and he extracted a first-aid kit stored on the lower shelves ( _never too high, otherwise it would be a pain trying to get it when he couldn't stand up that high_ ). Ten years old, but the bandages were free of dust (except for the first few lengths that covered the outermost part of the rolls). Shadow wouldn't trust the antiseptics though ( _and he never really needed them, not with his advanced healing and highly-tuned immune system),_ so he left them be and turned to Sonic.

"Sit," he gestured at his bed. Sonic did so and before the blue hedgehog could protest, Shadow pulled one of the peach-furred arms to him and started licking away the blood.

Sonic's eyes widened and the blue hedgehog yelped, trying to get his arm back. "Shadow! That's not clean!" he protested. "Just bandage it; it'll be fine!"

There was a pause as Shadow looked up while Sonic inwardly changed his sentence. No, it wouldn't be fine, said from experience as the blue hedgehog remembered all too many times when he got cut while going after Eggman. During those times, he had to take care of his cuts without much supplies. And he found out that no, bandaging wounds without being able to clean them first was horrible, but he could live through it.

"I'm cleaning the wound, idiot," Shadow huffed, giving Sonic a stern glare when he noticed the blue hedgehog drifting off in his thoughts. "This isn't the cleanest place to be, and who knows how long the cuts have been exposed. And my saliva acts like a disinfectant (perks of being a biologically-engineered Ultimate Lifeform). Why do you think I can eat raw meat as it is?"

Sonic blinked and stilled, recognizing the explanation. Though by the slight frown on his face, he still wasn't entirely happy with the outcome. Shadow didn't care; living in the wild had desensitized him. "…We really need to teach you Chaos healing," the blue hedgehog murmured to himself as Shadow worked. "That would be a lifesaver in situations like this."

"Even if I know how to, I don't have much Chaos Energy at the moment," Shadow huffed. He had already lost a lot of Chaos Energy prior to putting on the inhibitors, and they didn't exactly replenish his Chaos; just kept it from leaking. The replenishing was entirely up to Shadow.

Soon enough, Shadow finished cleaning the wounds and Sonic pulled his arms away. "I'll bandage them," he told Shadow firmly, grabbing the rolls before the black hedgehog could. "You might want to take care of your own cuts."

Shadow raised an eyebrow at Sonic and showed him his arms. By now, the blood had dried, but Sonic could faintly see the cuts closing themselves up. "Fast regeneration, remember?"

"Oh, right," Sonic said sheepishly even as he expertly bandaged one arm. Despite doing it one-handed, he easily wrapped the white cloth around his cuts and tied it up. It was when he had to do his other arm that he started fumbling a bit, as he wasn't using his dominant hand. "Um…Shadow, a little help?"

Shadow gave the blue hedgehog a dry look and sat down next to him, helping Sonic with the other arm. The black hedgehog also fumbled a bit, definitely not used to bandaging wounds, but he did a decent enough job.

Once their wounds were taken care of, Shadow stood up and turned to the closet. Sonic had an irrational urge to pull the black hedgehog back and away from the closet in case the memory-thing happened again, but he thoroughly stamped it down. _'If Shadow wants to take a look at his own things, it's not my business to interfere,'_ Sonic told himself as Shadow reached in. The black hedgehog paused for a while, before moving his hands to the photos instead of the books.

With surprising care, he took them down and collected them. Once he had them in his hands, he sat back down on the bed and finally took a good look.

The photos were all black-and-white and slightly sepia-toned, with a thin layer of dust over them. Shadow brushed away the dust and stared at the familiar faces of his heart-sister and father-figure. In the first photo, they were standing up, facing the camera, and standing awkwardly in front of the two was him. Slightly younger ( _'10 years younger,' Shadow reminded himself_ ), but still him.

Sonic hummed and slowly leaned against Shadow. Once the black hedgehog made no move to push him away, he took that as a cue to take a look at the photos. A smile spread across his face when he saw the young girl and the younger self of his friend, but that smile dimmed into a confused expression when he noticed the figure with the all-too-familiar mustache and bald head standing next to them. "…Who are they?" Sonic asked quietly, even as his mind proceeded to jump to conclusions.

"…My family," Shadow replied, the answer both surprising and not. Surprising, because if what Shadow said was true, that would mean the Eggman-like man was a part of his family, and Sonic wasn't sure what to make of it.

Still, as this photo was taken ten years and more ago, it couldn't be Eggman standing there. Sonic remembered a much younger version _(too young to be the same person in the photo, Sonic realized, slightly sheepish_ ). The version who still called himself Doctor Robotnik and proceeded to hunt down the Chaos Emeralds and take over the islands with his old Badniks all those years ago. Yup, Sonic definitely remembered him alright.

Then who was this man in the photo? He looked too similar to the current Eggman that calling it coincidence was not even funny. _'Perhaps a relative? Or a clone? It would be like Egghead to make clones,'_ Sonic thought, slightly amused at the clone part (which was true. What could Metal Sonic (and all his versions) be otherwise?).

The silence from Sonic was taking a while, and the blue hedgehog only came out of his thoughts when Shadow started speaking, taking Sonic's silence as a cue to continue. "The girl there, she's Maria, sister of my heart." A claw-tipped finger carefully brushed against the image and then pointed out the Eggman-clone. "And that is her grandfather, but I don't remember his name…"

"Grandfather!" Sonic couldn't help but exclaim, finding the puzzle pieces coming together. _'Definitely relative then!'_ "Is he…is his last name Robotnik?"

Shadow blinked. The name felt right…but there was a stubborn block in his memory that was stopping him from being completely sure. He was…somewhat _sure_ that it was Robotnik, but…

Sonic noticed that Shadow was looking confused, and not wanting another memory episode, he quickly added, "Why don't we look at the other photos? Maybe that'll help?"

Shadow frowned, but he decided to push the matter to the side for now and moved the photo to the back of the pile. The second photo that came up was of him and Maria, making silly faces (well, Maria was making the faces; with each photo, Shadow was looking increasingly awkward staring at the camera in his usual intense glare). Sonic chuckled softly and smiled teasingly at Shadow. "Never felt comfortable in front of a camera, eh?" he asked light-heartedly.

"It doesn't make sense to make silly faces at the camera," Shadow retorted, feeling a sense of déjà vu at saying those words.

"It's because it's fun!" Sonic laughed, even as Shadow moved through the next five photos that were the same thing; Maria and her silly faces. He had a slight frown on his face, but his eyes were soft and there was no furrow in his brow, despite his faint dislike of the act of making silly faces. Sonic made a mental note to introduce Shadow to selfies.

The next photo was familiar. It was of his birthday. There was only him and Maria in the frame ( _'Perhaps the Professor was the one taking the photo,'_ Shadow thought), and he was blowing out the candles.

Sonic's eyes lit up when he saw the photo. "Shadow, when is your birthday?" he asked.

Shadow flipped the photo, where the date was printed at the bottom left corner. "19th June," Sonic read out-loud, and his grin turned wider. "That's just four days away from my birthday! It's on 23rd June. And…" Sonic stared at Shadow, just realizing it. "You know, for a guy that's ten years older than me, you still look really young," he joked, though he later regretted it when he saw Shadow's face close off.

"…It's not really a birthday," Shadow murmured, remembering the words the Professor spoke in his memory. "Not if I'm not going to grow any older than twenty."

"Eh? What do you mean?" Sonic asked. In his mind, he was already drawing lines between the ideas. No matter what you say, Shadow looked ridiculously young for a supposedly-thirty-five-years-old hedgehog. Heck, Sonic would say Shadow looked just a few years old…around twenty… _'And not going to grow older than twenty… Is…is Shadow_ stuck _at the age of twenty, for good?'_

"It means I'll stop aging as soon as I hit twenty," Shadow spoke up, bringing Sonic's attention back. He stared down at the photos, somewhat disconnected from the _fact, the reality,_ that he was apparently immortal of sorts. At least he wouldn't die from old age…and Shadow didn't really know what to think of it.

Perhaps it was the Black Arms side of him, but he didn't particularly feel distressed at the thought. Red-Tail had told him how long the Black Arms could live, and he knew that the elders of his pack were very, very old (Shadow remembered how surprised he was when he was told that Fire-Streak, the youngest amongst the elders, was already two centuries old). Perhaps he had accepted it.

And Sonic didn't look too worried too either, so Shadow moved on.

The rest of the photos went without much of a hitch. There were photos of him alone ( _Maria probably took them, Shadow thought, keeping his slight embarrassment to himself whenever Sonic grinned at one of the more memorable photos_ ), him and Maria ( _"You guys are like Tails and me," Sonic laughed when he saw the interactions between the two. "Though you would be in the younger sibling place." "I am younger than her, hedgehog."_ ), a few of him and the Professor ( _Sonic looked suspiciously fidgety at those photos, biting his lower lip as if he was holding back something_ ) and the last one…

It was of Maria and the Professor, way before he was released.

The Professor was sitting down, with Maria standing next to him. They were on board the ARK, probably on the first day they arrived. Both of them looked somewhat sad, and Shadow's ears lowered. He had been on Mobius before, so he knew, he knew how wonderful and beautiful the planet could be, and it was not hard to deduce that they were sad because they had to leave their home…

 _'Did they make it out of the ARK?'_ Shadow wondered, staring sightlessly at the photo. _'Did they manage to get back to Mobius, back to their home? Are they still out there? Are they…still waiting for me? Or have they forgotten me? It has been 10 years…and…and I managed to_ forget _about them. It's possible…they might have forgotten about me too…'_

"Shadow, don't." Garnet eyes looked up to see resolute emeralds staring back. Sonic had a determined frown on his face. "I can see that you're thinking some very sad thoughts. Don't. It has been ten years, but that doesn't matter. We'll find out where they are, what happened to them."

Gloved hands held his, and Sonic gave Shadow his best reassuring smile. "It hurts, it hurts to hope and it hurts even worse to have that hope come crashing down," he began. "But we still do. We still hope. Because hope is what keeps us going. And when that hope turns out real, it is the best feeling ever… Besides." Sonic gestured at the photos. "I don't think the people that smile this much with you will ever forget about you."

"But I did, Sonic," Shadow murmured, hands clenching slightly despite himself. "I _forgot_ about them, _completely._ For the past ten years, I didn't remember them…not their faces, their names, anything."

"But you are remembering _now,_ " Sonic argued back as he eased Shadow's grip, knowing that both of them didn't want the photos to crumble. "The past…the past has happened and is done. What matters is that you are remembering them in the present. You haven't completely forgotten about them. Think about it. Is forgetting them forever better than forgetting them for ten years but remembering them later?"

"…No," Shadow sighed, feeling his shoulders slump (whether it was from relief or defeat, or just a mix of the two, Shadow couldn't tell). "…I suppose as you would say, better late than never," he added semi-dryly.

Sonic grinned at that. "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow! I'm _never_ late…except being fashionably late."

Shadow snorted at the words. "You have been late before, and it is not fashionable."

"It is! You just doesn't have a sense of style."

"I do. Just not as bad as you."

Sonic grinned despite being burned by the retort, and Shadow felt a slight weight lift off his chest.

* * *

 **DONE!**

 **Oh man, the first day of typing this...I am glad it's over and done, and even gladder that I enjoyed it to some degree. Hope this satisfies you guys!**

 **And now, here's the continuation of the news.**

 **About 30 DAYS, the reason why I haven't updated that fanfic is because I am still organizing the chronological order of the prompts. So that not only do the developments in the characters' relationships work (and by characters, I do include Tails and Knuckles as well, in case people are wondering), but also that they tie in with the fillers I made in From the Wilderness (those fillers are a part of 30 DAYS after all).**

 **I need your input; do you guys want to see more of 30 DAYS? If so, please help by offering prompts and giving suggestions on exactly how I should go with the fanfic. I mean, I did have an idea that I could post the chapters and rearrange them in a chronological order later, but that might confuse people, so I scrapped that idea. Other than that, I have no other bright ideas, so I am in need of your help. Please?**


	15. Chapter 12

**Question at the moment: Where do you prefer A/Ns, Review responses, explanations, etc.? At the beginning of the chapter or at the end?**

 **Review Responses!**

 **ThinMintE: Oh, thank goodness; I thought I had been using the wrong name once I saw the change. And posting your own stories! I don't mean to be impolite saying this, but if you need any help, feel free to ask! And as for the birthdays, the Gemini thing didn't actually factor into it; it said on the wiki that Sonic's birthday is 23 June, and I based Shadow's off...something. I forgot how I came up with his :P. And thanks! I'm so glad the chapter is liked (I was worried because I was out of brain juice and I thought it might be horrible or something...).**

 **SharpDragonKlaw: Thanks for the review! And oh boy, when Shadow finds out what really happened to Maria, things are not going to be pretty for sure...**

 **OK, I know I just had a hiatus very recently, but things are moving on in real life for me, just as I got my inspiration back, and that sucks! But if I try to do everything at the same time, I'll be burning my candle at both ends and completely burn out. So I apologize in advance for my soon-to-be sporadic updates and please bear with me on them.**

 **Here's to hoping that I won't burn and crash like how the ARK is stopped from destroying the planet.**

* * *

Chapter 12

While Sonic and Shadow were now heading for Shadow's room, Tails turned his attention back to his business in finding the written files. He had managed to find the labs pretty easily (he did have a map after all), but his hopes diminished slightly when he saw the place.

The laboratories were a mess; piles of shattered glass from broken glass containers, the stench of spilled chemicals, with a thoroughly-ransacked look as a finishing touch, as if the laboratories were raided. But Tails knew better; raided it may look, it didn't mean whoever the raiders were manage to find what they were looking for. The fox was also plenty sure that the scientists weren't stupid enough to leave top-secret research papers lying around for someone to pick up and find conveniently.

As such, the fox was having a time poking around, going through the closets, cupboards and other storage areas. Eventually, he hit jackpot; several containers that were securely locked with a password-coded lock hidden behind all the mundane. These containers were a hassle to open as well; Tails had to whip out his Miles Electric to hack in the locks, and each safe had a different password. So yes, it was a while before he managed to open them.

But when he did, he felt like a treasure hunting coming across a literal treasure trove.

The scientists had paper copies of all of their research and other kinds of information, all stored and labelled in thick binder files. Their arrangement was something left to be desired though, since the more important ones were sometimes stuck amongst the more boring topics, and more often than not were the files not even grouped and stored according to the general category in the safes (like, Tails would find something relating to chemical research stored in a safe that had mostly information about the ARK maintenance).

 _'_ _Perhaps this is another security measure. If so, I wonder how they even…oh right, they had digital copies, so they don't even have to go through sorting this mess,'_ Tails thought, biting back another exasperated sigh as he once again had to go through some more files before finding an important research file lodged all the way in between files about the cafeteria and the living quarters. _'At this rate, I might as well take all of these files and just sort through them later. Who knows, a paranoid scientist might even try to mislabel the files to hide the important papers…'_

Chaos, Tails hoped that such a scientist didn't exist, because that would make the job even harder for him ( _and it was already hard enough, thank you!_ ).

Either way, by the end, Tails had managed to at the very least divide them between two general categories; important and not-important. He would group them more specifically later. "Now, just need to get these all the way back to the Blue Typhoon, and we're set!"

With that, Tails looked around for something to carry the files. The safes were out of the question (they were literally built into the wall). He would need boxes and perhaps even a trolley or something along those lines with how many files there were. And when the room he was in offered no such supplies, he left it to search the others.

And in doing so…he came across something.

The room was darker than the others from a lack of a good light source, but Tails could still see fine enough. It was a small place, circular with a large device in the middle, something like a circular control panel. Tubes and wires hung from the ceiling (and Tails' heart lodged in his throat when he recognized the tubes and wires, having seen them before in a certain capsule back on the Black Arms' island), tipped with needles and one tube with a breathing mask even. Tails had a pretty good idea what the device could be.

"It could be another experiment's…or even Shadow's," Tails muttered to himself as he approached the device. The control panel was dusty and even had a small hole at one spot where it looked as if something had shot through it, sending spider-web cracks out. Tails gulped when he recognized the hole; a _bullet_ hole.

 _'_ _And the reason to why a bullet would be shot here…'_

Tails shook his head, filing away the information for him to chew on later. He couldn't afford to get unnerved or even jump to conclusions, not until he found concrete evidence to support them ( _'But isn't_ this _a concrete enough of an evidence?'_ a voice in his mind whispered, soft but words that hit home).

Ignoring possible voices in his head, Tails blew away the dust and tried to figure out what the device was for. All in all, it looked like a stasis chamber, with controls to determine pulse, blood pressure, oxygen levels, temperature and the likes. His heart started racing again when he noticed a label for _Chaos levels. 'OK, the possibility that this is_ Shadow's _stasis chamber just went up,'_ Tails thought as he stared at the label.

He then moved onwards and came across a large screen. There were several buttons and switches, and curiosity drove Tails to try and get the device running. After all, he got the central control room's computers up and running, so it shouldn't be too difficult to do the same for this as well…

Tails yipped in excitement when a low hum started up. The room around him brightened up and the screen came to life. Eager blue eyes locked onto the screen, and Tails' face paled.

There was no doubt that this was Shadow's stasis chamber, because his profile came up on the screen, recognizable despite the profile being simply an outline of him. But that wasn't why Tails whitened like a ghost. No, it was the words that appeared next to the profile.

 _Memory erasure: 90.6% complete.  
Process halted.  
Proceed/Abort?_

 _'…_ _So this is why…'_ Tails thought as he attempted to regain his composure, feeling sick to the stomach. It shouldn't be surprising; during the one-month stay on the island, the reason behind Shadow's amnesia did come up once in a while. Tails thought through all possible reasons (which weren't many since brain science and the likes weren't his expertise), from brain diseases or psychological trauma of sorts to the crazier ideas…

This was once a part of his crazier ideas, but for that idea to _actually be real…_

And the fact that this was even real, that there was someone who had the _brilliant_ idea to _create a machine that can erase memories,_ that Shadow was somehow unlucky enough to be dealt with this hand by fate, was the true reason behind Tails' suddenly ashen face.

 _'Oh Shadow… Why did they do this to you?'_ Tails wondered, going back to numbly staring at the screen glowing innocently ( _mockingly_ ) at him. It took a few seconds before Tails got to work. Maybe there was a way to reverse this…

His heart just suddenly dropped to his stomach when the words appeared.

 _Memory erasure impossible to reverse. Data has been deleted. Impossible to retrieve. Error. Error._

Tails groaned, slumping in defeat. Of course, data didn't stick around for _ten years_ after it had been deleted. Maybe a month, but not _ten years. 'But Shadow seems to be remembering_ something, _'_ Tails thought optimistically. _'It is possible…he could remember it all again if he manages to trigger them. And the process was only 90.6% complete. There's a chance that he could still remember something…'_

This wasn't the first time Tails hoped with all his heart that Sonic's luck with long-shots came through again. Because yes, Shadow's quest to regain his memories was a long shot, a journey that was more uphill than not, more of a battle than not. However, it had a chance of winning, and like Sonic said, they were going to take that chance.

 _'_ _Now, I better go through this thing. Maybe there's some useful information at least…'_

Whilst Tails was in the middle of digging for useful data, his communicator beeped with an incoming call from Sonic. Pausing in his work, he lifted up his wrist and accepted the call.

* * *

Sonic waited as the communicator called Tails, while Shadow was busy holding onto a box with all the photos and his books. They had spent a few more minutes going through the books, but mostly through the covers, because Shadow couldn't read and Sonic couldn't understand even one-third of the things that were written in most of them. In the end, they decided to go through the books later with Tails.

The communicator beeped and Tails' voice came over the device.

 **"** **Yeah?"**

"Hey Tails. We've finished checking out Shadow's room. Where are you?"

 **"** **In the laboratories, two levels under you. I'm…nearly done here, so…just give me a minute and we'll head back to the Blue Typhoon. Do you guys still want to explore?"**

Sonic gave Shadow a questioning look, but when the black hedgehog merely shrugged, Sonic turned back to the communicator. "We can explore while heading back to the ship," he compromised. "We've already seen…" Sonic took a glance down at the hallways and continued, "Probably the entire observation deck level and the living quarters. Shadow, do you want to see the labs?"

Shadow's quills stiffened while his face turned blank, hiding his emotions. The labs. After that one memory of a dark, cold place, the place he now knew was a _lab,_ with how that word fitted with the place, he wanted _nothing_ to do with it. His instincts agreed, snarling and defensive.

But the black hedgehog pushed down his initial aversion to the idea and nodded. It didn't matter; the past was already done, and he wanted his memories, both the good and the bad to fill up the empty holes in his memories ( _a little pain of something that had already happened was nothing compared to never knowing, losing the chance to know deliberately_ ), so he couldn't just back out from the possible chance of getting them…even if they could be painful…

Sonic frowned when Shadow's face turned stoic. A month spent interacting with the black hedgehog had shown him that Shadow's expressions were very faint and subtle in their change, but they were still there, and right now, he could see that Shadow had closed off, again. _'Is it what I said? Exploring the labs?'_

"…If you're sure," Sonic eventually spoke, deciding that it was Shadow's decision. There had to be a strong reason if the black hedgehog was agreeing to this even if he didn't like it (and Sonic was speaking from experience; he certainly couldn't _make_ Shadow do something, especially if the black hedgehog disliked it). He turned back to the communicator. "Looks like we're heading down to the lab Tails. See you there!"

 **"** **Sure."**

* * *

The communicator beeped as Sonic hung up and Tails dropped his wrist back down, turning his attention back to the control panel. "Well, we know for sure Shadow got his memory forcefully erased," the two-tailed fox muttered to himself, still wincing at the words 'forcefully erased'. "The thing to figure out is, why? Why did they erase Shadow's memory?"

A few minutes into going through the control panel revealed no answers to the fox. "Maybe there's a file about Shadow...maybe they have a record for it?" Tails mumbled as he decided to shut down the panel, having found nothing else. "Either way, the answers should be in the files...hopefully."

And speaking of the files...!

Tails remembered the entire purpose for looking through the rooms and immediately went back to it. A box, a container, anything really to gather all the files...

In his search, he stumbled across something surprising.

"Shoes?" Tails wondered, holding up the items. They looked like the type of shoes a mobian would wear (the size and bulk gave it away; they were bulkier than human shoes and just slightly bigger than Sonic's shoes). They felt heavy and the stiffness of the material told him that they were modified in some ways... He recognized some of the materials though; he used the same materials to make Sonic's shoes withstand friction from high-speeds...

"This must be Shadow's shoes!" Tails realized when he put them all together. Excited, he brushed away the dust, revealing the colors of red edging a white top and a black heel with a red tongue and a black topline collar. Looking underneath revealed yellow jets, to his pleasant surprise. "These are air shoes too!" he squeaked. "And if these are made to withstand supersonic speeds, that means with these, Shadow can break the sound barrier!"

"Shadow can do what?!"

Hearing Sonic's voice, Tails ran out of the room, excited to show the two hedgehogs his new discovery. The two hedgehogs were wandering in the hallways outside the laboratories, and Tails made a beeline for them, waving the shoes around. "Here! Shadow, quick, put these on!"

Sonic blinked, staring at the sight of Tails almost hedgehog-handling Shadow into putting on the shoes. The black hedgehog quickly set down the box he was carrying before he could drop them and Tails pushed the shoes closer. "Fox," Shadow growled warningly, not appreciating his space being invaded like this.

"Seriously Shadow, put them on!" Tails insisted.

"OK Tails, what's going on?" Sonic asked, coming to Shadow's rescue by snatching the shoes out of the eager fox's grasp.

"These shoes Sonic! They're air shoes and made to withstand sonic speeds! Which means, these shoes are _made_ to go at supersonic speeds! And they're just around Shadow's size! Which means they're his, since he's the only mobian on board the ARK," Tails explained quickly, words rushing out in his excitement. "That means he can break the sound barrier like you can! Go on Shadow!"

Sonic was already on it as soon as he heard the part where Shadow could break the sound barrier. "Try them out then!" he grinned, handing them (though not as eagerly as Tails) over to Shadow.

The black hedgehog was casting them dubious looks, but he did take off his skates and slipped on the ( _old, familiar, his_ ) shoes _,_ adjusting the Chaos Inhibitors around his ankles so that they fitted around the topline collars. When he was done, he stood up and tried them out. Purely instinctively, when he felt the (familiar) feel of the bottom of the shoes, he siphoned a small amount of Chaos Energy through his feet.

And that was when the jets activated.

Shadow bit back a surprised shout when he found himself moving, levitating just slightly above the ground. He tried to put a foot down to balance himself, but the action just propelled him forward. "Fox! What are these things?!"

"Air shoes! Just skate like you always do Shadow!"

The black hedgehog growled and put the other foot down. He tried to do as Tails said, but the floating-above-the-ground thing was throwing him off a bit. Still, he was moving, albeit none-too-gracefully.

His next stride had him overbalanced though, having put too much force in trying to instinctively touch the ground. But before he could slip on his other foot, Sonic was there, holding onto his arm and helping him right himself. "Need a little help?" the blue hedgehog asked, unable to stop himself from smiling in amusement.

Shadow growled even as he gripped onto Sonic's arm and righted himself. "How do you even work these things?" he asked, choosing not to answer Sonic's question. "How do you stand when there's no ground under your feet?"

"Trust," Sonic answered. "Trust that the jets will hold you up."

"And don't force yourself to touch the ground," Tails added, coming up to stand on the other side of Shadow. "If you do, that pushing force will be against the propulsion of the jets and the two opposing forces will cause you to slip and lose your footing. And since you're not touching the ground, there's no friction, so you won't be able to right yourself up easily."

Shadow frowned in concentration and looked down at his jets. Right now, since he wasn't moving, they were pushing out a steady constant stream, just enough to keep him hovering. In a way, it did feel like standing on something, but it wasn't firm, not like the ground he was used to. He put out a foot, taking in Tails' words and trying not to push too much.

He took that first step, but then, despite consciously reminding himself not to put too much force, he still tried. _'Trust that the jets will hold you up,'_ Shadow repeated mentally, inhaling and exhaling through gritted teeth. He slowly relaxed, easing up on the pressure, and move his second leg.

He didn't fall.

More reassured by that, Shadow started to push himself forward, skating like he would. The lack of friction nearly got to him (he wasn't used to having no friction to deal with and was putting more force than necessary), and he stumbled.

"We got you!" Sonic reassured as he and Tails moved to brace Shadow. With their help, the black hedgehog found his footing again and he tried once more.

"Why is this difficult? I managed to learn how to skate much faster than this," Shadow griped quietly to himself.

"That's probably because the ground and friction are acting like a brace," Tails explained. "Having to deal with these things mean that you'll have to put _more_ force instead of less, and the ground is pretty solid, so you slip up less. Here, without ground to brace yourself against or friction to help you grip, you'll need more control over factors you didn't need to when using ground-based skates."

"Don't give up just yet Shads~! Or you'll never beat me in a race, coming in _second_ place!" Sonic teased, grinning devilishly when Shadow's garnet eyes flamed competitively.

"You're going to eat those words hedgehog," Shadow warned, a part of him stepping up to the challenge while another part of him was slamming his head in a metaphorical wall for falling for the taunt, _again._

But since Shadow didn't really mind these taunts ( _after all, there was nothing more satisfactory and exhilarating than beating Sonic at his own game in a good competition_ ), that second part couldn't really do anything.

And besides, that taunt was helpful, even Shadow was forced to admit. The thought of being able to possibly _best_ Sonic in a no-holds-barred race filled him with determination to keep practicing.

* * *

Soon enough, Shadow was trailing blazes of gold as he skated through the hallways. He didn't try to break the sound barrier yet (the ARK wasn't exactly the best place to do it either), but Sonic knew for sure that they were going to have a race as soon as they got back onto Mobius. And honestly, the blue speedster was looking forward to it.

When Shadow was satisfied, he cut off the flow of Chaos Energy in his shoes and stumbled as he came to a sudden stop. The feel of the solid ground under him did startle him, but he was pleased to find out that it did not affect him badly and that it wasn't so difficult to transition from hovering to standing.

Once he was on the ground, Sonic turned to ask Tails. "So buddy, what've you found?"

"A lot," Tails replied, remembering the piles of binders and files he left behind in the laboratories. "I'll need some help carrying them."

"Whoa, really?" Sonic asked, following the two-tailed fox into the laboratories. Shadow followed behind, far enough that the two mobians in front of him wouldn't notice his tense frame.

"Yup. It's surprising, seeing that there are written papers in addition to the digital ones," Tails nodded. He gestured to the piles of stacked files divided into two groups. "As you can see...they left behind a lot of written stuff."

Sonic let out a wolf-whistle, staring at the admittedly impressive piles. "Think we can find enough boxes for them all?" he asked as he approached closer to read through the titles. "Tails, do we really need all of these?" the blue hedgehog asked, frowning when the titles didn't jump out to him as being 'Shadow-related'. He reached for the topmost file (he certainly didn't want the entire stack to come toppling down on him) and opened it.

And stared.

"...Tails, is this even a language from Mobius? Or is there an alien scientist I didn't know about?"

"What do you mean?" Tails asked. "Last I checked, the papers are written in English."

"You call this English?"

Sonic showed Tails the papers and the two-tailed fox gaped when he saw the incomprehensible characters scrawled across the page. "But..." Tails whirled around and picked out one of the files he went through. He opened it and showed Sonic the English characters used. "If this is the case...that means some of the files are coded," Tails realized, putting down the file in his hand and reaching for the coded file.

He flipped through the pages and yes, everything in the file was coded. He closed the file and looked at the title, deadpanning when he saw 'Janitor duties' written on it. "Someone out there has a sick sense of humor..." he muttered, coming to another realization that there was a chance the files were purposely mislabeled. Oh, it was going to be a pain in his namesakes (and his head) going through all of these files...

"What kind of code is this though?" Sonic asked, frowning at the characters on the papers. "And more importantly, can we crack it?"

"It's not going to be easy..." Tails mumbled in frustration while Shadow decided to see what the fuss was about. "From what I know, the ARK has scientists from all over the world, and they all have knowledge of the English language. It's going to be hard to determine what language these characters are based off, especially since they look nothing remotely like English let-."

"Echidna."

The word Shadow muttered drew both mobians' attention at once. The black hedgehog was looking over their shoulders, staring at the characters with a dazed look. "This code...it was...made by the Professor..." he murmured. "Based off something about echidnas..."

Tails' eyes lit up and he opened up his Miles Electric. He dug through the photo files and beamed once he came across what he was looking for.

They were photos of the carvings at Angel Island. The characters being used on the walls looked quite similar to the characters in the papers, with slight differences but at least the same general shape.

"Knuckles will be able to help us then?" Sonic asked with a grin.

"Oh, he'd be able to for sure," Tails nodded. "Just need to convince him to help us."

"Great! So, what will it be? The food bribe or the bet challenge?"

"..." Tails sighed wordlessly. "Just...whatever works."

* * *

It took almost forever, finding the boxes to store the files, grouping them _again_ after the revelation that the titles could be misleading and hauling them to the Blue Typhoon (and with how many boxes there were, it took several trips to get them all onboard). But they managed in the end, with Sonic and Shadow hauling the boxes and Tails sorting them at the same time so that they got things done faster.

"That's the last of them?" Sonic asked as he and Shadow came back to the laboratories.

"Yup!" Tails cheered, relieved that it was over and dreading having to do it again once they got back home. He checked his communicator and beamed when he saw that almost an hour had passed by. "Perfect timing. Guys, we'll have to go back to Mobius now. Our hour is almost up."

"Alright. So...can we consider this a mission success?" Sonic asked as the three headed down the hallway.

"With all that we found...pretty successful in my book!" Tails agreed.

"Good enough for me."

Shadow remained quiet as the two walked on ahead. Despite having gone through these hallways multiple times today while carrying the boxes, he was still unnerved. If he paid attention and thought about it, he could see flashes, of the dark cold rooms, the eerie glow of the laboratory lights, the green glow of the stasis chambers, _the damning bar that showed a process that was trying to take away his-!_

Shadow froze, his eyes staring at the room. While he was carrying the boxes, he didn't notice it, more occupied with keeping the boxes steady. But now...he saw it.

The room with the missing stasis chamber, with that control panel, and _that bar and that mechanical voice!_

 _Memory erasure, 10% completed._

 _Memory erasure, 23% completed._

 _Memory erasure._

 _Memory erasure._

 _MemoryerasureMemoryerasureMemoryerasureMEMORYERASURE!_

"Argh!"

* * *

 **So, whatcha' think? The idea for the code being based off echidna carvings came from the whole there-is-a-copy-of-the-Master-Emerald-altar-on-the-ARK. Like, why (beyond plot convenience)?! What is the purpose of recreating the altar? It's not as if they had Chaos Emeralds with them on the ARK fifty years ago, right? Maybe Gerald knew it was going to be used? Perhaps it had something to do with his plans for the Black Arm invasion? Feel free to offer your theories!**

 **Hope to see you next chapter.**


	16. Chapter 13

**Here's another chapter! I won't say I'm back for good; more like a visit. Still, even if it's a visit, it's good to be back. Any kind of escape from the endless projects piling in front of me is good in my book.**

 **Review responses!**

 **ThinMintE: Oh, he won't be pleased at all... Though I'm planning something for that. Like, I'm having doubts on what kind of implication should I make about the outcome of Maria. Oh well, I'll see what happens next.**

 **Guest (Mar 19): Thank you! I wish I have your enthusiasm in binge reading this fanfic like you do. But as the author, it gets tiring reading the same thing over and _over and over..._ So to hear that there is a reader who loves this AU a lot makes me grin so hard!**

 **And even now, I'm learning on how to properly write canon characters be in character while adhering to the plot, so thank you for your review about the character development!**

 **OK, the next review is going to be super long, so please skip ahead if you don't want to know the review response.**

 **RockinRootbeer ( for first review): Thank you for your reviews! They really made my day! For the first chapter, I feel like Sonic is still happy-go-lucky and all that as the games portrayed him to be, but he still has to face danger constantly and his childhood years are spent on his own. Heck, he fought Eggman alone when he was a child. As such, I feel that it is only right he has something _more_ to him than just this happy, easy-going, relaxed hero that we see in the games.**

 **And for Knuckles, while I can understand that the rivalry between him and Sonic can get a little out of hand at times (such as in Sonic X), the reasons for rivalry are usually because of respect; that there is someone who can challenge you in what you are good at, and you want to beat them to prove yourself better/stronger. As such, there is respect. Though yeah, since Sonic gets into trouble so often, Knuckles is not too confident about that aspect...**

 **And as for the dialogue thing, I like to have a good balanced ratio so that it doesn't get boring reading the chapters. Expositions, dialogues and descriptions are important, but when they get too long or too stagnant without anything important happening, it just ticks me off! And I'm impatient too; I'm the type that wants the plot moving constantly.**

 **For the Black Arms thing, you would be surprised if you knew just what sparked the idea of this fanfic. It had less to do with Black Arms and more to do with the cliché where modern people meet someone raised in the wild, this someone having to cope with modern society and all that. But this is Sonic fandom we're talking about. As such, this fanfic has GREATLY steered away from its original concept.**

 **And about the Black Arms, I feel like I haven't been doing a great job at establishing them. It's probably because I didn't initially thought of them to be plot-important, and now that I do, the first five or so chapters are bothering the heck out of me. But don't worry; the Black Arms will be thoroughly explored, one way or another! It's inevitable, especially if Black Doom is going to show up since Shadow the Hedgehog (game) hasn't taken place yet.**

 **For second review : Thank you for the second review! And to me personally, I headcanon that Sonic and Tails are fiercely protective of each other as a result of growing up together of sorts while fighting side by side. Like, Tails may be the mechanical genius, but that isn't the only thing about him! Tails can fight too, and he's more of a partner to Sonic than a sidekick! Note to self: show more of this aspect in later chapters.**

 **And the Black Arms are now more parental than before, now that there are pups to take care of. I also headcanon a parental Sonic, like, how he would be so good with kids. Imagine a club made out of kids who are Sonic fans following Sonic around like ducklings! Or in this case, like Black Arm pups, right Shadow~?**

 **All Black Arms can somewhat understand Sonic and co. because of Shadow; Shadow himself can't exactly speak Black Arms in the form of their growls and noises. If he tries, perhaps a little. Mostly, he speaks normally like Sonic and co., and sometimes, Red-Tail isn't there to act as translator so the pack is thus forced into learning how to understand the language. But your theory is also correct; the ones with telepathy are able to completely understand the language while those with still-developing telepathy will still have trouble understanding the more complicated words.**

 **And for those three chapters, I say 'filler' because I thought the readers won't like what is sort of a pause in the main plot. Not to mention, the fillers are from the readers' prompts; I'm just lucky that those prompts have a somewhat similar theme to the prompts I already thought up myself. But your theory is good too; they are also interludes in another context from what I originally thought. Thanks for pointing that out!**

 **Whew! With that long review response is done, let's get onto the chapter! More notes at the end.**

* * *

Chapter 13

"Argh!"

At Shadow's pained yell, Sonic and Tails froze for half a second before turning around. Shadow was gripping his head, eyes clenched shut with such a vivid expression on his face, one of pain and confusion. Their hearts leapt into their throats at the sight before Sonic recovered first and called out to the black hedgehog.

"Shadow!"

Furious garnet eyes glared at the two mobians at the worried shout. Pupils were oscillating between shrinking and enlarging, darting about as if Shadow couldn't focus on what he was truly seeing. But the very-much vivid expression on his face was enough to tell Sonic and Tails that the black hedgehog was now mad, desperate and…fearful?

But they didn't have the time to contemplate on the emotions before Shadow was charging at them, claw-tipped fingers stretched out in a wild slash. Reflexes kicked in as Tails flew to the left while Sonic jumped to the right. However, before Sonic's feet even touched the ground, Shadow was whirling around towards him in a split second.

A hand raked across Sonic's side, but only briefly as the blue speedster's leg shot up in a knee-jerk reaction, managing to kick Shadow away before the black hedgehog did worse damage.

"Too close," Sonic gasped as he backed away, glancing at his injury. What was up with today? First his head (during the zero-gravity tag), then his arms and now his side, and the blue hedgehog didn't want to know what part of his body would be injured next.

The sting brought him back from his thoughts as he focused back on his injury. Four thin lines lightly dripping with blood glared back at him. "When we're done with this, I'm so going to trim his claws," he muttered to himself with a humorless grin.

"Sonic! Are you alright?" Tails called out from the other side while Shadow remained standing, frozen in spot and staring at his blood-stained claws in shock.

"I'm fine," Sonic replied back, emerald eyes never leaving Shadow in case the black hedgehog suddenly snapped out of it and started attacking again. "Shadow doesn't look too good though..."

"He looks in shock," Tails muttered as the two mobians carefully approached the stiff hedgehog. "What's going on?"

Sonic took a deep breath and stepped in front of Shadow ( _despite his uneasiness and his own deeply-buried instincts that were screaming at him not to step in front of a predator and draw its attention_ ), so that he could see Shadow's expression. The dazed look in those eyes was a familiar yet unwelcomed sight.

"I...I think he's having a flashback or something," Sonic told Tails, waving a hand in Shadow's face. The black hedgehog's eyes didn't react, still staring at his blood-tipped claws. "This happened in Shadow's room too, when he opened his closet."

"Flashbacks... Something must have triggered it then," Tails hummed, taking a more confident step closer.

"Do you think we should snap him out of it?" Sonic asked.

"...I'm not sure," Tails grimaced. "There might be some bad consequences if we break Shadow out of his flashback trance while it's still going on. I think we should wait for Shadow to come out of it on his own. He can do it, right?"

"Sort of..." Sonic murmured. His hands reached out and brushed against Shadow's. Shadow somehow stiffened even more and the blue hedgehog noticed the dazed look slowly disappearing. "Wait, I think he's coming out of it!" Sonic grabbed Shadow's hands, ignoring the flinch Shadow made at the contact. "Shads, it's time to come back down to Mobius buddy, both in your head and out here."

The words brought an automatic exasperated groan from Shadow and Sonic grinned. "Yup, he's alright."

Shadow hissed, blinking rapidly. His vision was no longer filled with red flashes and that...that… ( _that voice that kept on repeating, m*mo** e***ure_ ) that thing was gone from his ears. The last thing he remembered was struggling against hands that kept him down ( _his Chaos Inhibitors were ripped off, the Chaos Energy drain left him temporarily dazed and powerless_ ), before he started attacking at these hands, and that was when things got confusing.

In his eyes, he saw himself attacking but failing to injury the hands. However, when he drew back his hand though, the scent of blood hit him hard. And his sight cleared up for a bit to show him a glimpse of the _familiar scented blood_ on _his_ claws.

The realization hit him hard and chased away the flashes. He hurt Sonic, _again._

Sonic noticed the intense stare Shadow was giving the claw injuries on his side and offered the black hedgehog a reassuring smile. "Hey now, these are just some scratches, no big deal," he said in a nonchalant tone. "Doesn't even sting that bad."

As if the universe was reprimanding Sonic, the injuries decided that now was the time to remind Sonic that _yes, they hurt_. The blue speedster bit his lower lip to hold back a hiss, erasing the slight grimace on his face before it could be seen and turned around quickly. "Well, anyway, space is fun and all, but let's get back to Mobius! Can't wait to get my feet back on solid ground!" And before anyone else could say something, Sonic was off.

Tails sighed and turned to Shadow, whose expression was closed off again. And the two-tailed fox was not as experienced as Sonic in interpreting Shadow's 'resting-frown-faces' ( _as they were called by the blue speedster_ ). But by the stare the black hedgehog was giving Sonic's injuries and his blood-covered claws, Tails could guess.

"Shadow, don't worry about Sonic," Tails started, drawing attention from Shadow. "You should know better than anyone that he isn't so easily beaten. Of all things to describe Sonic, fragile isn't one of them."

"He seems to be whenever I'm with him," Shadow muttered back, remembering such instances. "It is either myself who causes him harm, or a consequence of something I did."

"But that is the way Sonic's life works by this point," Tails sighed, starting to walk down the hall before Sonic noticed they weren't following. "He is always in danger, even before he met you." Blue eyes looked ahead, to where the blue hedgehog was. Despite the slight lack of grace from the injuries, there was still a bounce to his steps, full of energy and life.

Tails noticed this and smiled, even as he continued to tell the tale to a listening Shadow. "When Sonic was still a kid, he had to fight every day. Probably ever since he was born. He's an orphan, like me, a kid without parents…but he doesn't know them. He's never even _met_ his parents..."

Blue eyes went dark for a moment, at the thought of Sonic's past _,_ before they cleared up as Tails continued, taking strength from the present rather than the past. "And despite all odds, despite being in danger all the time, he's here. He's survived those fights, everything life threw at him, and came out on top. Sure, with bruises and more than enough scars, but he's strong."

"He isn't strong all the time," Shadow rumbled quietly. During the one month on the island, he was able to witness Sonic's moments of weakness, and he knew that the blue hedgehog wasn't always infallible. "He needs someone to watch out for him."

"And that is what we'll do. Shadow, I'm not saying that Sonic doesn't need to be watched out for. It's the opposite; he gets into so much trouble that he needs someone to watch his back," Tails sighed in fond exasperation. "No, what I'm saying is that you are not a danger to Sonic. I'm saying that if Sonic gets hurt like this, don't distance yourself in hopes that it would protect him more, because it won't. Instead, help him by taking care of him and being there, like you always do."

A significant look was sent the black hedgehog's way as Tails rhetorically asked, "I take it that those bandages on Sonic's arms are your doing?"

Shadow inwardly grimaced at the reminder, but he nodded.

"Thanks for helping him," Tails said, much to Shadow's surprise. The black hedgehog was expecting a warning of sorts from the two-tailed fox, not his gratitude.

Not noticing the quiet surprise from Shadow, Tails continued, "Sonic is stubborn. If he gets hurt, he'll say that he's fine, pretend that nothing bothers him, and it's hard getting him to settle down and patch him up. The fact that you took the time to do it shows that you care. And for that, thanks."

"…" Shadow wordlessly nodded, showing that he accepted the fox's gratitude. A silence settled around the two, but it only lasted for a few minutes before Tails' curiosity pique. "Shadow, when you saw that room…what happened exactly?"

A wince broke through Shadow's aloof façade and Tails quickly backtracked, "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine! Just say the word."

"I don't want to talk about it…not now," Shadow growled lowly, and true to his word, Tails accepted Shadow's answer. As the fox went silent, Shadow frowned. It wasn't as if he didn't trust Tails or something like that. Rather, he just…he just didn't want to confront those memories just yet… _'Later,'_ he told himself, refusing to admit that he was scared of thinking about it again. _'I will deal with them later…'_

And with that, their time on board the ARK came to a temporary end. Soon enough, they were back on the Blue Typhoon and heading back to Mobius as the sight of the abandoned space colony disappeared into the darkness of space. In what seemed like no time at all, despite the journey taking several hours, they were already landing on the beaches of the island, under a twilight sky.

"We're back," Tails informed the other two passengers as he switched off the Blue Typhoon. Sonic stood up from his seat, his torso now sporting bandages, and Shadow did the same. The black hedgehog was eager to get back to his pack when he noticed how much time had actually passed, but before he could leave, wisps of conversation from Sonic and Tails caught his attention.

"A message?"

"Yes, from the president. It seems he sent it a day ago, but I didn't notice."

"Well then, let's see what the prez wants!"

A few seconds of silence passed by before Tails' voice spoke up. "He wants us to come back to Station Square. Looks like an emergency as well, but he didn't put in what the emergency is. Said he wants to talk about it to us in person as soon as possible…"

"As soon as possible, huh?"

"Yeah. At this rate, we'll have to leave the island by tomorrow, after I recharge the Blue Typhoon."

Shadow froze at that. _Leave the island? By tomorrow?_

After the words sunk in, the black hedgehog was quick to rush out of the Blue Typhoon. So sudden was his departure, that he didn't notice Sonic turning around and calling for him. All Shadow could think of was that the time had finally come. That he had finally came to the crossroads he had always known were there.

That he would have to choose...whether to stay on the island...or leave it.

* * *

Back at the Blue Typhoon, Sonic was just calling out, "Shadow?"

When there was no reply, the blue hedgehog looked over his shoulder, blinking when he saw the spaceship devoid of the aforementioned hedgehog. "Ah, looks like Shadow's left already."

"That's OK. We can tell him about the message later," Tails pointed out. "It's not as if we'll have to leave the island immediately."

Sonic nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but there's another thing we'll have to talk about. If we have to leave the island by tomorrow, what about Shadow?"

Tails fell silent at that. To be fair, if what the president wanted didn't seem urgent, the fox would have suggested that he went by himself while Sonic stayed behind with Shadow, and maybe some of the files for the two of them to ponder through.

But that wasn't the case. Right now, the president was stating that it was an emergency, and that brought only two possible results.

One was that it was a new matter to discuss, perhaps something concerning mobians.

And the other result was that Eggman was up to no good.

Both results had a fifty-fifty probability, and Tails didn't want to risk it, especially if the emergency turned out to be related to Eggman. And there was a nagging feeling telling him that it was definitely Eggman the president was citing the urgency for. The mad doctor had been quiet for a bit over a month, so it was almost time for his next scheme to come into play.

This meant that it was time the Hero of Mobius went back to his job. Sonic couldn't stay behind for sure…

"I think we should tell Shadow about us leaving the island, and then let him decide what he wants to do," Tails decided. "He'll probably want to stay, since he has his pack to look after as well, so we'll just have to come back after we finished whatever the president's emergency is..."

The fox trailed off after that, and the two mobians fell into a sort of silence. While both of them knew it wasn't goodbye, that they would come back after they were finished, it still didn't feel right to just leave Shadow like that... Tails fidgeted in place, his heart an itchy sensation in his chest that wouldn't abate, and a glance at Sonic showed that the hedgehog was feeling the same hesitancy as the fox.

"...Anyway!" Tails exclaimed, breaking the silence. "Let's head over to the den. It's nearly dinner time..."

Sonic smiled stiffly while Tails finished setting up for the Blue Typhoon to recharge for the trip back home. And as the two trudged their way to the Black Arms' den, the blue hedgehog's mind was in a whirl. Logically (and some part of him found unneeded humor in how he was adhering to _logic_ of all things), it was not goodbye. In the end, they would meet with Shadow again after this detour of sorts.

But imagining Shadow's reaction to the news that they were leaving... It was a thought Sonic did not entertain lightly, and for good reason.

A nudge from Tails brought Sonic back out of his thoughts and the blue hedgehog took a deep breath to steady himself. This was how life worked; sometimes, the paths just diverged. But as long as there was hope that they would meet again, those paths would soon cross once more. His stiff smile relaxed and Sonic straightened his back.

 _'Yeah! This isn't goodbye. Just a short leave. We'll see Shadow again! That isn't something to mope about.'_

 _'Our paths are going to cross again, for sure!'_

* * *

At the Black Arms den, unknown to the two mobians headed there, the pack was in a frenzy.

After their leader barged in, fire flickering at his heels (to the astonishment of the Black Arms), he immediately called for the second-in-command and to gather the pack. It was too sudden, but something in their leader's eyes and his voice made them move as fast as they could. In almost record time, the entire pack had gathered inside the mountain, everyone from the elders to the pups were there. Even the scouts who were usually patrolling the far sides of the island were present.

As the group settled down, eyes were drawn to their leader, their second-in-command and his mate. The conversation between them was private, Red-Tail and Sun-Spoor's thoughts going unheard by the others while Shadow was whispering too lowly for their ears to pick up on.

And by the looks of things, the three seemed to be disagreeing very strongly on something.

This kind of secrecy and turmoil made the rest of the pack nervous and confused. Leader was hiding something from them. And he was also looking distressed when he came to the den. There was a wind of change, and this shift was easily felt by everyone, making them worried. Just what was going on? What was going on that would shake their usually-unflappable leader?

Ruby-Claw growled uneasily, nudging against her sister Crimson-Streak. "What **you think** happen, **sister?"** she asked, a combination of telepathy and growls.

"No **know,"** Crimson-Streak rumbled back, pressing her shoulder against Ruby-Claw's. "But it something with **Sonic** and his **pack. _Always_ is.** And **leader** come running after **big unnatural thing** land. It...it no look like **good things** happen **where** they went..."

Ruby-Claw keened lowly in the back of her throat, to which Crimson-Streak purred back reassuringly. "No worry **a lot,"** Crimson-Streak pointed out. **"Leader** tell now. **Look."**

All the Black Arms were quieting down, turning to their leader who was now facing the entire pack with Red-Tail and Sun-Spoor at his sides. Eyes met across the cave and Shadow rumbled lowly, the sound reassuring to the Black Arms. It was his way of saying: 'I know you're scared, but don't be'. Garnet eyes hardened in resolve, and the pack calmed down.

 **"Everyone,"** Shadow began, with Red-Tail echoing his words. **"Tomorrow, Sonic and his friends (pack) will be leaving the island. Maybe even permanently. But I (leader) haven't found my past yet. As such, I (leader) will be leaving the island as well."**

The news was quick to garner shock and surprise from the younger generation of the pack. To them, they had grown up on the island their entire lives. It was their little world. They didn't know much beyond its beaches, what laid beyond the ocean. Their island was their small comfort zone, and to find out that their leader would be leaving it...

They wouldn't lie. It was daunting to think of.

But the Black Arms' loyalty was a two-way street. Just as the leader would be completely loyal to the pack, the pack would also be completely loyal to the leader. So if Shadow wished to leave the island, they would follow.

It was the way of the Black Arms' loyalty after all.

* * *

 **OK, I'm stopping here. Yes, probably not to its usual word-limit, but my brain is fried. Very fried. And too stuffed with project-related things.**

 **The part where Shadow and Red-Tail spoke as one is so that the entire pack could understand Shadow's words. While most already have a good grasp of the language, there were still some words that they wouldn't understand. As such, Red-Tail is sort of a translator (hence the brackets which are the words Red-Tail used such as 'leader' for Shadow and 'pack' for Sonic's group of friends).**

 **Edits: I edited some of the previous chapters to take into account of how Black Arms that aren't well-versed in telepathy speak, with a mixture of telepathic words and verbal noises overlaying each other. The underline is telepathy, underline and bold together are when the telepathic words and verbal noises are overlapping.**

 **Also, quick question. How long do you think it took for Sonic and co. to reach the ARK during Sonic Adventure 2? Because on average, a trip to the moon from the Earth takes around three days. There's also the factor that the ARK isn't exactly above the island, so they'll have to travel somewhat around the planet to reach the space station. So I also edited that part. Now, with Tails' Blue Typhoon accelerating, it takes four to five hours. What do you guys think?**


	17. Chapter 14

**Note: As there will be another long review response in this chapter, from now on, the review response corner will be relegated to the end of the chapter.**

 **Now, hope you'll enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 14

The trek to the Black Arms' den didn't take long, and soon enough, Sonic and Tails were crossing the last of the trees to reach the clearing.

To be specific, a very _empty_ clearing.

"Where's everyone?" Tails asked out-loud, surprised and maybe a bit unnerved by the complete lack of Black Arms to be seen. It was after all, an unusual sight. At the very least, there would be some Black Arms left behind to guard the den even while the rest went out hunting or patrolling.

"Beats me…" Sonic hummed thoughtfully, before looking upwards at the star-dotted sky above the clearing. "But by the looks of things, they'll be here for dinner soon." The sounds of activity coming from the cave drew his eyes back down and Sonic snorted, spotting the black beasts emerging. "Ah, speak of the devils."

He raised a gloved hand in greeting when he spotted the more familiar Black Arms, but before he could say something, the intense stares he received nearly made him stop. He sweatdropped when he noticed that while he was receiving the staring treatment, Tails was being spared. The way the tension seemed to avoid the two-tailed fox would have been hilarious were it not for the fact that said tension was very much focused on Sonic.

 _'Oi, way to make the guy feel unwelcomed...'_ he thought semi-jokingly.

Still, he gave his most casual grin and greeted the Black Arms. "Hey there!"

Thankfully, some of the Black Arms chirped in reply to his greeting, preventing what would have been an awkward silence. It sent the rest of the pack into motion, and soon, the clearing dissolved into the usual chaos of preparations for dinner. Last hunt's kills were brought out, the meat already starting to rot, and campfires were made. Chunks of meat were ripped off, bundled into leaves and tossed over the open flames to be cooked.

Sonic and Tails were also busy preparing their own dinner, politely refusing the Black Arms' meat ( _"Thank you, but you don't need to. We brought our own food, so there's no need, so please don't puttherottingmeatthere!"_ ), and for the moment, the familiar routine was enough to settle the two mobians' nerves.

The scent of cooked meat started to permeate the relaxing atmosphere as Sonic leaned back against his rock with a chili dog in hand. Tails did the same next to him, though with a bowl of stew instead. "Hey Sonic? Where's Shadow?" the two-tailed fox asked before Sonic could take a bite of his chili dog.

The question had the hedgehog pausing and taking a look around the clearing. Usually, by now, Shadow would already be in the clearing, sitting next to either Sonic or Tails with his cooked meat in hand. But even after second and third looks, he saw no sign of the black hedgehog.

 _'Something's up...'_ Sonic thought, remembering the tension from before. It wasn't a far-fetched idea that Shadow was the reason behind it; the pack was quite in tune with their leader, and like a mirror, their behavior reflected Shadow's moods. _'And it, for some reason, involves me as well. Maybe it has something to do with what happened on the ARK? Shadow might have told them about it, and they're just feeling a bit on edge?'_

"Sonic?"

Green eyes blinked and refocused back to reality. They turned to the fox, noticing the worried look. "Ah, sorry about that. Just lost in thoughts," Sonic apologized with a reassuring grin, taking a bite of his chili dog for good measure.

Tails took a few more seconds to stare at Sonic before nodding and turning his attention back to his stew. "What were you thinking about?" he asked quietly.

"Ah, just wondering where Shadow is," Sonic replied, a part of the full answer. His eyes darted over to the cave entrance and he added, "And there he comes."

Tails looked up at that and spotted Shadow coming out of the cave, followed by the Black Arms he recognized as Red-Tail and Sun-Spoor. As the trio approached, the two mobians spotted the stiff posture, the clenched fists and the more agitated-looking quills Shadow was sporting. His garnet eyes seemed to glare a hole right through them when he noticed their presence. Tails tensed up and Sonic frowned, edging closer to the fox and staring back at Shadow.

Green clashed with red briefly, before Shadow looked away, the movement too jerky and sudden to be natural.

Sonic's frown deepened at that. Shadow was hiding something, managing to look away before Sonic could figure it out. And curious the blue hedgehog may be, but he knew better than to try and push the issue, too openly at the very least. Shadow wasn't the type to divulge his personal matters to others. As such, in normal circumstances, Sonic would play the waiting game with Shadow. It was never his favorite game, but the two hedgehogs were so stubborn that it didn't matter in the end; it still dissolved into a tense bout of pushing without any giving in.

However, combined the tension from before, the stare aimed at him and Tails, and the fact that whatever was eating at Shadow involved at least one of the two…

Yup, it was a matter Sonic rather discuss _sooner_ than later.

 _'Until dinner's over,'_ he compromised to himself. _'Until the end of the dinner. If Shadow doesn't speak up by then, I'll approach him first…'_

He did hold some hope that perhaps, when Shadow came by to sit with them for dinner, he would be able to ask just what the heck was going on, but that hope was quickly put out when the black hedgehog sat with the Black Arms instead of with him and Tails. Sonic inwardly sighed in disappointment while Tails looked between the two hedgehogs, having notice the brief exchange.

"What's going on between you and Shadow?" the two-tailed fox asked, his tact as blunt as a hammer.

Sonic lightly coughed at the question. "Nothing!" he answered, shifting his position.

"It doesn't look like _nothing_ ," Tails muttered, not buying Sonic's answer.

Sonic occupied himself with his chili dog so that he didn't have to respond to Tails' unspoken demand for more answers, ignoring the resulting unimpressed look the kit gave him.

The rest of the dinner passed in relative silence between the mobians of the group, and after the cooked meat had just about vanished down the pack's throats, the kills stored back and most of the fires put out, Sonic straightened up. "Shad-," he started, just as Shadow also said, "Hedgehog."

The two paused, slightly startled by the similarily-timed words. Sonic cleared his throat while Shadow remained silent, so the blue hedgehog decided to take it as a cue to start. "Shadow, we have to tell you something. We'll...we'll be leaving the island tomorrow."

"I know."

The straightfoward acknowledgement took Sonic off-guard. "Wait, you do?"

"I heard you and the fox talking about it," Shadow muttered, and Sonic noticed the red-streaked quills bristling again.

"Right," he hurriedly coughed. "Anyway, we'll be leaving tomorrow. I know it's sudden, but it's really important and-."

"I'm coming with you."

It was the second time Sonic was caught off-guard.

"And the pack is coming with me too."

OK, make that the third. What was it with all these bombs being dropped one after the other?!

While Sonic remained wide-eyed and surprised, Tails spluttered, "Wait, you mean, you and the pack want to leave the island?"

"Yes," Shadow answered, with such finalty in that one-word answer. And behind him, several heads nodded in agreement.

Still, it was not enough to deter Tails. "But Shadow, we'll be away from the island for a long time, and the place we're going to is very different. The pack might not be able to adjust to it. There will be others like us, and humans, and they might not be very happy if they find out that there are apex predators roaming about freely. You might, no, you _will_ be in danger, same with the Black Arms!"

"We are not foolish, fox," Shadow spoke gravely. "We know the dangers and the consequences, and we will leave the island despite them."

"But-!"

"You're really sure about leaving the island?"

All heads turned to Sonic, who had come out of his surprised state and was now staring evenly at Shadow. The black hedgehog returned the stare and replied the question with confidence. "We are sure."

A few seconds passed by before Sonic grinned. "Alright then! That's fine with me!"

With that, Tails sighed in defeat as the pack made a mini-celebration while Shadow relaxed, the atmosphere lighting up.

* * *

Review Responses!

 **GuardianDragon98:** Your prediction is rather spot-on, and I love Knuckles' and Tails' reactions the best! Tails would probably be so exasperated while Knuckles would be shaking Shadow (or Sonic, for going along with the idea) back and forth and screaming his head off. But either way, you'll find out in this chapter!

 **MadameMirage77 (this is the long review):** Thank you! Sorry I couldn't reply to your review sooner, since I can't send you a PM. I wish I can though; your review response will be probably as big as RockingRootBeer's, but that's because I'm going to answer your review as best as I can! Hope you'll find it helpful!

Yes, this will be slow-burn Sonadow. I don't have much (or any) experience in romantic relationships, so this is a chance for me to try it out and see how I feel about it.

As for the technical question, Shadow's Black Arms are indeed vastly different. This will be explained more in future chapters. And as for Black Doom, from what I know, the reason why Black Doom could command Shadow is because they are related. And (maybe this is a spoiler?) Shadow's pack is definitely NOT related to Black Doom (maybe by a very, very, very tiny percentage, but after years of evolution and how they aren't directly related to Black Doom even in the very first generation, that relation is already non-existent by that point.

And for your story! Now, as far as I know, Chaos Energy isn't something that is thoroughly explained in the Sonic fandom. Maybe it is explained in the Archie Comics? But I haven't read those, so I wouldn't know. But in the games and the anime, info about the Chaos Energy isn't what I would call thorough. It is just said to be a mystical power that can do a lot of things.

As such, fanfiction writers can take liberties when it comes to Chaos Energy. They have their own headcanons on how it works, what it does, etc. So you have a lot of freedom in making your own headcanons for Chaos Energy, which means that it is up to you whether having Ghidorah DNA would affect Shadow's Chaos Energy or not.

If you want to make this DNA thing have an effect on Shadow's Chaos Energy though, here're some suggestions. First, establish what your Chaos Energy headcanons are, if you have any. Then, work your way up from that Chaos Energy foundation. Find similarities between a Ghidorah's abilities and Chaos Energy.

An example is this: in one of the movies, a Ghidorah is able to regenerate its entire body from severed body parts, like a hydra. This can work with how Chaos Energy can heal (if that is your headcanon) and Shadow's own Ultimate Lifeform status.

And as for how to start your story, that is a bit of a subjective question. Everyone has their own idea on how to start a story. For me, with From the Wilderness as an example, I started this story based on a parody where Shadow is someone stuck on an island, able to communicate with creatures, and encountered Sonic, someone from the modern society/civilization, and it just grew from there. So perhaps you can build up your story from a scene as well.

Like, you have this idea of Shadow having a Ghidorah form and using it to battle out with Black Doom in the True Ending of the game. Perhaps you can build up a story around that scene, such as, what happens next and all that stuff.

Another way is more of an AU. Take my fanfic Where the Wind Blows as an example. It is an alternative universe where most of the mobian characters are spirits, and are living in a world that is very, very different from the games. As such, there is a lot of world-building to do, headcanons to be determined, etc. If you plan on making your fanfic as AU as this one, you'll have to think of a lot! I suggest building your world entirely before even writing and posting a chapter, to avoid inconsistencies, and trust me, it will save you a lot of grief if you don't have inconsistencies and having to edit every chapter afterwards.

But if being unable to write a chapter bothers you, then I suggest you write your chapters, but don't post them just yet until you've gotten the world-building down. Hope this helps!

 **ThinMintE:** That is definitely going to happen. It can't NOT happen. And if you're going with Eggman being the emergency...well, you'll find out in this chapter.

 **SharpDragonKlaw:** Those reactions are sure to happen in the future. And yeah, Team Sonic had too long of a vacation time already; it's time for some chaos to balance out the long peace period!

 **w:** Thank you!


	18. Chapter 15

**Phew! I'm so glad this chapter's done! Between MerMay, my other art projects and my other fanfics, this was a work to pull through! But I made it! Halleluiah!**

 **Review responses have been moved to the end of the chapter. Now, I hope you'll enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 15

When the moon was at its peak, as the time turned to the midnight hour, the Black Arms were all curled up in the den, their full bellies hopefully reassuring a good sleep. However, there was still some underlying anxiety over the events that would happen tomorrow, and the signs showed up in the fitful sleep some Black Arms were under.

Claws shifted, jaws snapped, growls echoed in the cave and the near constant sound of leathery hide scraping against the stone walls was annoying grating. It was a miracle Sonic managed to catch a few hours of sleep before all the activity and noise woke him up.

The blue hedgehog groaned, rolling over onto his back and glaring at the ceiling, annoyed at his sleep being disturbed. But it was nothing new to the hero; when facing a sporadic enemy like Eggman, he learned how to catch sleep when he could, and what to do when he couldn't. In this case, it was the latter, and Sonic couldn't fall back asleep, couldn't relax enough despite his conscious mind telling him that the Black Arms were safe.

 _'It has never stopped danger from finding you, no matter how safe you think you are,'_ his subconscious mind snarked, just as Ruby-Claw growled in her sleep while Crimson-Streak's tail slapped against the bedding on the floor, the sound thankfully muffled.

Sonic bit back a loud sigh, no matter how tempting it was. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and spent a few seconds just staring blankly, too tired to try and move just yet. In the dim moonlight flitting in, he could see the other Black Arms, some sleeping soundly (and oh, how he envied them) and others completely restless, constantly shifting from a state of awake and asleep (those he could sympathize somewhat).

"Well..." he breathed out before covering his mouth as a yawn took the opportunity to escape. "Since I'm not going to be sleeping anytime soon, might as well get a drink..."

Carefully, but without much grace, he got up onto his feet and stumbled his way towards the back of the cave. He took care not to wake up the Black Arms, but he didn't put much mind to it, barely flinching when he accidentally trod on a wayward tail or had to heave himself over a pile of the sleeping beasts. It only elicited annoyed rumbles and snores anyway.

After several minutes of fumbling in the dim, dim light, he finally found the entrance that would lead to the small drinking pond in that tiny section with the open ceiling. Here, the moonlight was brighter, glimmering on the surface of the pond. As usual, the rushing sound of falling water was a constant echo here. The blue hedgehog took a drink and splashed some water on his face, the cool spray clearing away some of the tiredness.

As such, when he returned to the sleeping cave, he noticed something he didn't when he first passed by. There was an empty spot amongst the Black Arms, one that should have been occupied by a certain black hedgehog. Blinking, Sonic scanned the cave, even taking to walking around and getting a closer look, but there was no sign of Shadow.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who couldn't sleep..."

* * *

Outside in the clearing, a small campfire burned, more for the warmth than the miniscule light it provided. Long ago in distant faded memories, Shadow faintly remembered a time when he spent nights cold and numb. His physical health never suffered, but something about the cold had always made his teeth clench unpleasantly. And this unpleasantness just grew after he recovered some of his memories.

The warmth of the fire kept most of it at bay, and the small light was not enough to hinder his vision as he stared at the open sky above, mind oscillating between a buzz of thoughts clamoring in his head and a blank meditative state. He kept thinking about tomorrow. The questions and what-ifs kept pestering him, driving him away from his slumber and out here in the clearing, too tired to do anything else but not tired enough to fall asleep.

Out here in the clearing, with the warmth of the tiny campfire and the stars above, Shadow's thoughts kept turning. The nocturnal symphony of the jungle was a background noise that barely disrupted him as he pondered and pondered and pondered. And amongst that symphony came a foreign noise, one of approaching footsteps. The gait was familiar though, and Shadow didn't turn around even as he felt another source of warmth brushing against his back.

"Too nervous to go to sleep?" a quiet voice murmured with a knowing tone as its owner sat down next to Shadow, who shrugged in reply to the question.

"It was kinda the same for me, back when I first decided to leave home," Sonic continued. "I was so nervous I spent the entire night pacing back and forth in my room. If it weren't for Uncle Chuck, I would have probably worn right through the floor!" The blue hedgehog chuckled softly at the memory, Shadow's ear flicking at the sound. "It's funny, now that I think back at it. Nowadays, if I feel the need to go, I just do."

"…You move around frequently," Shadow stated after a pause, glancing at Sonic. It was a look of inquiry, silently waiting for further explanation to that fact.

Sonic nodded, leaning back and looking up at the star-dotted sky. "Yeah. I rather not stay in one place for too long; a week, maybe two at most. Then, I'd get restless and before long, I'd be heading off…" He let out a breathy chuckle. "Tails used to complain about my itchy feet. See, we used to travel together, moving from one place to another. It is only a year ago that he decided to settle down in one spot. He made a home for the both of us. Now, it's just me going off on my own."

"It's not so bad," the blue hedgehog continued, turning his gaze down to the fire. "It can be lonely, when I'm travelling through places without any other people around, but it's also pretty exciting. There's always something new around the corner, something to look forward to, new sights to see and new experiences."

Shadow pondered on those words. Back then, before Sonic and his friends came to the island, before he started remembering his past, he was content with staying on the island. He knew of the stability and the safety of familiar territory, and it was a comfort, something for him to hold onto, like a steady anchor. But as the memories of his past slowly crept in, he was no longer satisfied with the island. It was not the same as Sonic's desire for thrilling adventure; Shadow wanted to leave the island to pursue his past, to fulfill those now-remembered wishes to see this planet.

Even so…he would miss the island.

"...It doesn't bother you," Shadow spoke out, the words sitting on the fence between questioning and stating. "Just leaving so suddenly."

"Not really."

"You do not miss the place you call home?"

Sonic smiled at the question. "There are times when I do miss home. But it is not the place I miss; it is the people. The place doesn't matter. My home is wherever my friends are. Home is where the heart is, and all that." He turned to Shadow. "I guess you would miss the island?" he asked, having figured out what was bothering Shadow.

Shadow paused, thinking over the answer. While he would miss this island he called home for the past ten years… "…In a way, yes. But I won't miss it terribly," he answered truthfully. "There are things about this place I will miss, but as long as my pack is with me, I don't think I will miss the island too much." _'It is just as you said. My heart is with my pack. They are my home…And I am theirs.'_

His thoughts calmed down at the realization, and some of the lingering tension faded away. Whether that was a good or bad thing, Shadow didn't know. For when one weight was lifted, it seemed as if another was placed on his shoulders. Where there was once worry for leaving the island, now there was the anxiety of the unknown; of what would happen afterwards. Just what would their new…place of residence ( _he hesitated to call it home_ ) be?

In fact, where would he and his pack stay? Would they be left to find a place on their own? He had no idea how other mobians and humans lived, other than the very brief mentions from Sonic and Tails, and his own experience of living on the ARK. And both weren't enough to get a good estimate on their situation. "Hedgehog?" Shadow asked, quickly taping down his newly-found panic and asking the question in a mostly-even tone. "Where are we going to stay?"

"With us," Sonic replied, the grin on his lips slowly fading once he noticed Shadow's rigid worried expression relaxing, realizing the reason behind the other hedgehog's worry. "You and the pack will definitely like it," he continued with a casualty that didn't quite match the reassuring look on his face. "It's all natural; forests, meadows, mountains, as far as the eye can see. There's even a beach just a walk away. The neighborhood is friendly as well. Everyone knows everyone."

A cheeky grin grew on the blue hedgehog's face as he gleefully added, "You'll be the talk of the town for a while, once they find out about you."

"I prefer not being the center of attention," Shadow grunted with a frown, to which Sonic laughed, the image of a stone-faced Shadow facing a curious crowd of mobians (mostly Sonic's friends) rather amusing.

"Nah, it's not that bad," Sonic laughed. "It's mostly just my friends you'll be getting an introduction to. It's when you come to the city that you'll have to watch out for. It will be ten times worse."

"I'll make a point to avoid that place then."

Sonic shrugged. "If you say so. The city's pretty interesting and all, but if you don't enjoy that kind of scenery, that's fine. Our home has a lot of space to explore, and for the pack to roam around as well."

"They'll appreciate that," Shadow murmured, his worries eased. "While there are some reservations about leaving the home territory, the pack is quite eager to seek new territory to take over."

Sonic sweatdropped at that, chuckling nervously. "Um...they…might have to be careful doing that. Where me and Tails live, there is a huge forest, but we live pretty close to our friends too. The pack will have to keep to themselves, and they'll have to stay with us during the night. We have plenty of space at home - kinda have to, now that we have the Blue Typhoon - but better safe than sorry."

"That's...alright, I suppose," Shadow acquiesced, before turning his gaze to the fire to feed it some more dried sticks, as it was getting low. He was silent for a few minutes, before whispering under his breath, almost to himself. "It's really happening. We're really leaving the island, tomorrow."

"Yeah…" Sonic breathed, hearing Shadow's words as he leaned closer to add his own handful of leaves to the fire. "But it doesn't mean we'll be gone forever. We can always come back." He hesitated for a few seconds, before saying, "You know, you don't really have to leave the island if you don't want to. Yeah, me and Tails will be gone for who knows how long, but we'll always come back as soon as we're done!"

"But anything can happen," Shadow grunted. "That's why I want to seize the opportunity while I still can."

"It's probably nothing big!" Sonic huffed in return. "The president wants us for an emergency, but it usually resolves within a few days. I'm sure it's nothing serious..."

* * *

Somewhere far, far away from the island, an event was taking place that would prove Sonic horribly wrong...

Central City was known far and wide, its fame attributing to several facts, such as it being the home of the President of the United Federation. But there was no fame greater than the city's most prized possession, stored in the Museum of Natural History and displayed to the public. It was known as a gift of goodwill and politics to the majority of the public, but to others...

It was a source of infinite power. And that held more value than any symbolism it carried.

Set in a glass case, on a pedestal separated from the other exhibits, the Chaos Emerald glowed, bathing the dark museum in a dim light. The numerous security cameras kept a steady watch from various angles, displayed on the numerous monitors of the security room and under the careful eye of its diligent guard.

Night watches were usually grueling jobs, but the mobian guard was a nocturnal species. As such, the late hours were of no bother, and the creak of the opening door did not escape his notice.

He looked up from the monitors, eyeing the slight crack in the once-fully-closed door suspiciously. "Who's there?" he asked lowly, even as his hand reached for his taser. His words were both a question and a warning; that there was a fully awake security guard inside the room. This would usually deter thieves...

But the thief in question was no ordinary thief.

"Ugh!"

The groan escaped the guard as he slumped into his chair, the taser falling from his limp fingers and being caught by the thief. The device was then promptly placed back in its original position, and the guard's position adjusted, so that it seemed as if he had merely fallen asleep. And with that done, the thief turned to the monitors.

It took a bit of hacking before the videos were tampered, subtle enough not to be noticed, and for the security measures around the Chaos Emerald to be deactivated.

The thief then headed down to the exhibit room, crossing the threshold without interruption from the now-deactivated alarms. It was with an alarming ease that the Chaos Emerald was extracted carefully from the glass case, replaced with a replica that was made to its exact image, and the glass case replaced, leaving not a sign of any interference.

The theft would not be discovered until several days later.

* * *

The metallic doors slid open with a hiss, and the rotund man sitting in front of his supercomputer turned around with an eager smile that showed through his bushy moustache. "Ah, welcome back! Did you get it?"

The addressed nodded and pulled out the Chaos Emerald. The man's grin stretched wider and a victorious laugh echoed inside the room. "Ohohohoho! Well done!" He took the stolen emerald and pressed a button on his control panel. A section of the floor slid open and out rose a capsule of sorts, in which four other Chaos Emeralds were stored. "That makes five! Only two left...and soon, Eggmanland will be a reality! Ohohohoho! This is my most brilliant scheme yet!"

As the man laughed over his seemingly sure-fire victory, the monitor of his supercomputer continued to glow, displaying the image of a moon-like satellite, diagrams of a cannon-like weapon and the capitalized words...

ECLIPSE CANNON.

* * *

 **OK, Review Responses have been moved here!**

 **ThinMintE: Hey there! Thanks for the review, and I guess you know the results now! Eggman is definitely up to something...though are his schemes the reason behind the president's emergency~?**

 **GuardianDragon98: Not sure if I should classify it as a vacation or a permanent stay... And that is a bet you are sure to win; GUN isn't exactly the friendliest or the smartest when it comes to dealing with alien creatures that looked like a certain Ultimate Lifeform. Thanks for the review!**

 **SharpDragonKlaw: Oh, that will be a doozy! And it's sure to happen. Thanks for the review!**


	19. Chapter 16

***Author crawls into the room, looking as if having just survived the Apocalypse***

 **Torturous week is over! I finally have WiFi again! *Tackle-hugs an iPad and goes on a Youtube, Fanfiction, Deviantart, AO3 binge* Ahem. Anyways, here's to another chapter, and WiFi! This will be pretty short, not very inspired since this is pretty much a filler chapter, but hope you'll enjoy it still!**

* * *

Chapter 16

On the next day…

Sonic grunted when something nudged him. His hand lazily came up to bat away whatever it was, but halfway changed his mind and let it drop back down. He was still tired, having slept much later last night after the talk with Shadow.

And besides, his internal clock was telling him it was barely dawn. Whatever it was, it could wait until a more reasonable hour…

Something clamped onto the back of his neck and pulled him up, shaking him vigorously and startling him awake with a loud yelp.

…Or maybe not.

On the ground, awoken by Sonic's yelp, Shadow sat up in a flash. His quills bristled as his gaze darted around for the threat, before landing on the disgruntled-looking Sonic being held up by a Black Arm. "Ruby-Claw…" Shadow sighed, recognizing the Black Arm. "What is it?"

"Wake up! **Time to go!** Go, go, go!" Ruby-Claw replied with barely-contained excitement, nearly bouncing in place. " **Pack already** wake up! Go, go, go!" She plopped Sonic down on top of Shadow so that the hedgehog wouldn't think of curling up back to sleep and darted around the clearing.

The rest of the pack was already awake as well, and Ruby-Claw wasn't the only one excited either; the younger Black Arms and the pups were running around, excitedly babbling to their parents and pestering them with question after question. There was a chaotic rush as the members took count of their members, helped the elders up and contemplated on whether to bring something or not.

Amongst them, Red-Tail looked thoroughly exasperated as he moved about, organizing the members the best he could. Once he noticed Shadow was up, an expression of relief took over his face. "Shadow. Thank Chaos you're awake. Help me with this!"

'This', being referred to as the two Black Arms quarrelling over whether to bring food or not.

Shadow nodded and looked down at Sonic. In contrary to Ruby-Claw's intentions, Sonic was uncaring of where he was as long as he got some more sleep, as evident by the curled-up ball of blue fur and quills. Shadow huffed and nudged the blue hedgehog. "Wake up," he added when the nudge showed no result. "Hedgehog, wake up, or else it will be the ocean this time."

"Not the ocean!" Sonic yelped once his half-asleep mind registered the threat. He sat up and glared grumpily at the smirking black hedgehog. While he may have learnt how to swim, it didn't mean that he fancied a dip, especially in the ocean of all water bodies.

"Then it's a good thing you're awake now," Shadow pointed out with a smug smirk. "Anyway, the pack is eager to leave."

Sonic eyed Shadow incredulously at that. He knew what Shadow was trying to say, but it was still incomprehensible as he pointedly glanced up at the barely-lit sky. "It's not even morning."

"Tell that to them," Shadow huffed in return, jerking his head towards the Black Arms hurrying about.

Sonic stared at the pack as they dissolved into a mess of bickering and excitement, and the futile efforts of Red-Tail trying to get everyone in line. It was clear that none of them would consider the blue hedgehog's (rather genius) opinion of going back to sleep and doing this at a later time of day. "I'll go tell Tails to get ready," he sighed in resignation.

* * *

It was mid-morning by the time the entire pack was finally boarding the Blue Typhoon. Not only was the 'packing at the last minute' a half of a disaster, but getting them through the jungle and to the beach was another hassle in of itself. If Sonic had to describe it, it would be like herding a group of Badniks on the frizz; deceivingly simple, but utterly exhausting.

"Ruby-Claw, settle down!" Sonic called out for what was probably the umpteenth time as the aforementioned Black Arm nearly bowled over another in her excitement as they headed up the ramp. Her sister chastised her with a nip to her flank, and Sonic sighed when Ruby-Claw barely settled down. "This is hard…"

"True," Tails agreed with a tired yet teasing expression, having come in later to help Sonic and Shadow. "Kinda like trying to get you to sit still."

Sonic snorted at the good-natured poke. "Or like trying to pull you away from your projects before you get buried in them," he teased back, the light-hearted banter a very much needed familiar and stress-relieving activity.

There was a soft growl nearby and the two mobians turned to see Shadow at the rear of the pack, waiting for the rest of the pack to board the spaceship. The black hedgehog looked more frazzled than usual, hand held to his forehead as if staving off a headache. And from what Sonic knew of Black Arms' telepathy, he could haggard a guess. "You alright there, Shads?" he asked quietly when Shadow came to stand next to him.

"If you think having several voices asking you multiple different questions at the same time is the definition of being 'alright', then yes. I am very much 'alright'," Shadow growled in a voice thick with sarcasm, though he was thankful that Sonic's voice wasn't at full volume. "Thank Chaos that Red-Tail and Sun-Spoor are there."

"Well, it's over for now," Tails sighed as the three finally boarded the Blue Typhoon, the ramp pulling up close behind them once they were inside. "Get some rest Shadow. It will be around two hours before we arrive."

"I will take that offer," Shadow grunted as he sulked off. He did not need much sleep, one of the perks of being an Ultimate Lifeform. However, he would not argue against a chance to simply rest. So, it was without much ceremony that he found a comfortable-looking spot on the floor and slumped down. He was soon joined by Red-Tail, who laid down next to Shadow with the same plans as his leader. The rest of the pack was with them, in the large hull of the Blue Typhoon. Initially, it was to house other transports Tails planned to build (or rebuild) in the future, but since he hadn't gotten around to that, it made a large enough space for the Black Arms.

 **"** **Alright now!"** Tails' voice came out from the overhead intercom, startling not a small number of the pack. **"The ship will start moving, so brace yourselves."**

 **"** **Which means, don't stand up, unless you want to fall over,"** Sonic's voice added afterwards.

Red-Tail barked out the orders, just as the floor of the hull started rumbling. The Black Arms were quick to lie down on the floor, pups scrambling to huddle next to their parents. Shadow grunted as he also braced himself against the wall. Without the seat-belts from before though, he was finding it a much harder task.

 **"** **We're rising now!"** Tails warned.

The floor started moving and more than one Black Arm yelped in shock. Confusion and shock rang loud amongst the pack, and Shadow was hard-pressed to keep them calm even with Red-Tail's help. Thankfully, the ascent slowed, and the Blue Typhoon started moving forward at a slow even pace. It was less jolting than the ascent, so the Black Arms weren't as panicked. Soon enough, the spaceship was flying at a steady pace, easily cutting through any air turbulences with a smooth grace.

 **"** **We're in the clear now,"** Tails informed them while the pack collectively breathed out a sigh of relief. **"Feel free to explore if you want to."** Those words were punctuated by the doors sliding open. Some Black Arms took the initiative to leave the hull. Gradually, the large area was emptied out, until only the elders and some pack members remained.

"Want to explore this thing later? After some rest?" Red-Tail asked Shadow, the Black Arm taking up a more comfortable position.

"Hn."

* * *

The Blue Typhoon easily blended into the sky, thanks to the nifty cloaking feature Tails installed. Undetected by others, it soared high above the clouds, passing by a vast ocean until reaching a continent. It passed over cities and towns, mountains and valleys, until it reached a large area of meadows and forests that hugged a coastline.

 **"** **We're here now!"** Tails called out. Most of the Black Arms had migrated up to the top deck by then, so they were eagerly surveying the approaching location. Shadow was also there, taking in the surroundings. While it was not the jungle-mountain combination of the island, it was still comforting and familiar, with forests surrounding hilly meadows and mountains looming in the distance. Faint brown paths snaked across the land, disappearing in different directions like a spider web.

"Whatcha' think, Shadow?" Sonic asked as he came up to stand next to the black hedgehog.

Shadow hummed, taking in a deep breath. The air smelt differently from the island, but it was still fresh and crisp. "It's nice... A good kind of different."

Sonic grinned at the answer, pleased to the punch. "Well, there's more to see than this, so when we touch down, I'll give you guys a grand tour. But right now, this whole area is our…territory, I guess? I mean, if someone wants to make their homes here, we don't mind, but for now, Tails and I are the only ones staying here." He pointed out to one of the paths that disappeared off to the east. "Over there, following that path, is where our friends are. We'll introduce you to them some time later, if you want to meet them. And if you continue onwards in that direction, that's where the nearest city is."

The blue hedgehog then pointed out another path. "This path leads to the ocean. That's where Tails' workshop is, where he keeps his planes, and also where our home is."

The Blue Typhoon was making a course in that aforementioned direction, and soon enough, the ocean came into view, with large pale grey cliffs and a thin stretch of white sand on which palm trees grew. One of the cliffs had a large rounded indent, as if something had carved an entire chunk right out. And to Shadow's surprise, as the Blue Typhoon drew closer, the ground in the indent started to open, revealing an extremely large underground metal room of sorts.

"It's Tails' workshop," Sonic informed Shadow as the spaceship lowered itself into the room, the ground closing back up above it with lights switching on once it was fully closed. "And our house is just on top of the cliff. The pack can stay here in the hangar or the forest outside, whichever they're more comfortable with."

"We'll survey the forest. If there are good den sites, we'll stay in the forest," Shadow replied while the ramp lowered itself. The Black Arms were heading off board, roaming around the room. Like in their explorations of the Blue Typhoon, they were curious, but also cautious. This was all new territory in every meaning of the word.

"Hey guys!" Tails called out, bringing the two hedgehogs' attention to him and the multitude of boxes stacked in intimidating towers. "Help me unpack?" he asked with a pleading expression.

"Sure!" Sonic agreed, zipping down in a flash to where Tails was. "Where'd you want them?"

"Basement or attic, whichever has the most space."

"Alright then!" Sonic picked up some of the boxes and turned to Shadow. "This will only take a sonic second!" In a flash of blue, off he went. And in no small amount of time, the boxes seemed to disappear one after another with the blue blur going back and forth. Without Tails having to organize them like he did back on the ARK, the transfer went much quicker than before.

"And done!" Sonic cheered as the last box was delivered. "I put them in the attic, just near the skylight. They're all yours Tails!" With a grin, he turned to Shadow just as the black hedgehog got off the deck and down to the ramp. "So, ready for the grand tour?"

* * *

 **Question: Should the next chapter be the tour, or should I just skip ahead to the action? Or a better question: is there anyone who can help me with my other fanfiction, Where the Wind Blows? I'm working on rewriting it (of sorts), and I really could use some opinions.**

 **Review Responses!**

 **GuardianDragon98: It will be madness when they arrive in the big city alright! And Eggman plus a weapon of mass destruction plus the Chaos Emerald? That is definitely a recipe for disaster.**

 **ThinMintE: Their home is from Sonic X. The anime didn't really showcase much of Sonic's home world, so I'm taking as many liberties as I can. And Sonic, he invited a whole lot of problems to his doorstep the moment he, Tails and Knuckles arrived on the island. One more problem won't be much of a problem! *Universe heard this, noted it, and proceeded to absolutely screw up whatever I just said***

 **Thank you for the reviews everyone! Hope to see you next time!**


	20. Chapter 17

**Since the reviews I received either called for the tour or are neutral and open to seeing a tour, here is the tour! It will be short, and there won't be a lot of the boring part of the tour, but there will be bonding moments. Hope you'll enjoy this!**

* * *

Chapter 17

"Well, you've seen the underground hangar," Sonic started as the mobians and a few curious Black Arms headed to an elevator inside the hangar. "It's directly under the house and Tails' workshop area, which is the basement, just above the hangar. But...for safety reasons, we're not going there."

"Definitely not," Tails agreed, eyeing the Black Arms as they stuffed themselves just barely in the elevator. He still remembered the last time the curious beasts decided to investigate his workspace. In short, it did not go well for both parties...

"Right," Sonic coughed, hiding a slight laugh. He remembered the incident as well. It was the day the Black Arms learned that despite Tails' smaller size and lesser strength, the kit still had a devious mind for pranks and a strong streak for retaliation when it came to his projects. The memory of the pack actually _fleeing_ at the sight of the two-tailed fox nearly choked another laugh out of him.

"Anyway..." he drawled, clearing his throat and returning to the present just in time to avoid getting a face full of neck spikes from a nearby Black Arm. "Above Tails' workshop is the first level." Just as he said that, the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. The Black Arms yelped as they eagerly crowded around the doors, trying to get out of the cramped space.

"Take it easy!" Tails squeaked when he nearly got wacked by one of the Black Arms' tail. "I really need a bigger elevator if this happens again..."

Shadow grunted in agreement, barely avoiding the arm spikes of another Black Arm. When he had enough of the squirming and the futility of their crowding, he growled and snapped at the beasts, soon corralling them into exiting the elevator one by one. Once they were all out, the mobians followed with a sigh of relief.

"Well, first stop, the living room!" Sonic exclaimed, throwing his arms out to gesture the entire room they were in.

Shadow looked around, taking in the place. The living room had a cluttered yet cozy feel, full of several chairs and cushions. Each looked well-used as well, though there were some that looked completely brand new ( _"Chairs get destroyed often," Sonic replied when Shadow asked why. "Knuckles loses his temper easily, Amy's hammer is no joke and the Chaotix can be a trouble-making bunch at times." "And Sonic himself is also a chair-destroyer," Tails added dryly, to which Sonic squawked in protest_ ).

There was one large table in the center, one that looked as if it had gone through a hurricane and managed to survive mostly in one piece. Scratches. burns and other marks of abuse covered its surface thoroughly, yet it seemed quite sturdy still. There were several items on top, arranged in semi-neat piles, and to finish off, there was a large television screen set up at one end of the room. "Another work of Tails'," Sonic showed off proudly. "It used to be an old broken thing, but after working his magic on it, viola! Works better than any old TV too."

"What...is a TV exactly?" Shadow asked while the Black Arms drew closer, sniffing the device like they had been doing to every other piece of furniture. One of them pressed her nose too hard, and yelped when she accidently turned on the device. The screen flickered and displayed an image, while sound boomed out of the sound boxes. The Black Arms roared in surprise and immediately scrambled away to hide behind available cover, watching the device with half of their eyes and the other half trained on Tails warily.

"It's something you can watch videos on," Sonic replied, gesturing to the screen as he spoke. "But it's not the same as the Miles Electric. You can only watch videos that are being aired - being released - at the moment, like the news, cartoon shows, movies and commercials."

Shadow frowned at that. He knew what news and commercials were (after having experienced them on the Miles Electric, on something Sonic called YouTube), but there were still things he did not understand. Such as... "What are cartoon shows and movies?"

Sonic grinned at that as he turned off the TV, much to the Black Arms' relief as they left their covers, now keeping a fair distance in their investigations in favor of _not_ repeating that incident. "Well, it's better if we just show you instead. We're so having a movie night this week."

Once the Black Arms were satisfied with the room, the group moved onto the next room. "And this is the kitchen. It's where we eat and cook."

At the words 'eat' and 'cook', the Black Arms eagerly peered in, sniffing curiously. They could smell the lingering and accumulated scents of cooked food, to which they tried to search for, but found themselves blocked by Sonic and Tails. "Sorry, but the kitchen is _off-limits,_ " Tails warned, glaring pointedly at the Black Arms. There was no way the fox was going to let the beasts in, not with so many possible scenarios that would end in a ruined kitchen.

Thankfully, the fear over Tails' wrath won over their curiosity and hunger. The Black Arms quickly backed away and assumed nonchalant poses.

Shadow snorted in amusement at his pack's antics, but also adhered to Tails' decision. It…it reminded him of how Professor Gerald would more often than not forbid Maria (and later on, Shadow) from entering some parts of the labs while the scientists were working... Though it still didn't stop them from sneaking in, and there had been times when they got caught by the man himself...

 _"Maria, Shadow, you know better than to come into this part of the laboratory," Gerald scolded firmly, staring down at the two abashed-looking children._

 _"But we want to see you, Grandfather," Maria protested, looking up with puppy-dog eyes. "It's already over midnight, and you're the only one who haven't left the lab yet."_

 _Gerald sighed, losing his stern expression. "I still have something to work on, Maria. I'll be done in..." Maria's expression seemed to become even more of a kicked puppy, and Gerald seemed to falter. Any form of resistance disappeared though when Shadow looked up at Gerald, not with a puppy-dog look, but with a determined look on his too-young face. "...In just a minute," he finished with defeat, to the delighted looks of the two children._

 _'Professor Gerald always had a soft heart…'_ Shadow thought back in the present as he followed the two mobians away from the kitchen. Being away from the island and in an environment that was entirely new just made the things he missed even clearer. The black hedgehog did not know whether to be glad that he was remembering more things or upset because being here…

Being here also made the possibility that he had been dreading ever more present. The possibility that against all hopes, everything from the ARK, all of his past…was gone, dead, buried under the ground to never ever be recovered… It was a thought devoid of hope, and a thought that had the potential to be reality.

What would Shadow do then? If that possibility were to be real…just what would he do?

Never had the future seemed so blank before…

"Shadow?"

The question snapped him out of his depressing thoughts. The black hedgehog looked to see Sonic and Tails staring at him in a mix of confusion and worry. "You alright there?" Sonic asked, taking a half-step forward. The gesture was just as a question as the words. _'Are you alright?'_

Shadow responded with his own step backward and a wordless grunt. _'I don't want to talk about it.'_

The blue hedgehog's lips twitched, though not in a smile. But he didn't push his luck. Tails noticed the silence and also let his initial response die in his mouth. Instead, he continued on with the tour. "Well, the second floor is our living space. We have my room, a guest room that's practically Sonic's room, a storage room and a bathroom. Above us is the attic."

Tails pointed at the doors with each room he listed, while also showing where the attic was. The entrance to it was a trapdoor that when pulled open, the ladder to it also fell out to be used. The Black Arms yelped when the ladder flapped out, the motion surprising them.

"Sorry!" Tails gasped out, a little laugh lining the words. "We didn't have enough space for stairs, so we make do with a ladder. Be careful where you stand when pulling it open; you don't want to be right in line to get hit with the ladder."

"Learned that lesson the hard way…" Sonic grumbled, the memory of the ladder hitting his unsuspecting head bringing back a faint phantom pain. He glanced at Shadow, his lips twitching in a frown again when he noticed that the hedgehog looked less lively than normal… "Hey Tails? Why don't you take the Black Arms outside for the rest of the tour? I sort of have something to do…"

Tails tilted his head in curiosity, but still nodded and turned to the Black Arms. While he was directing them outside, Sonic moved over to Shadow. "Well, now that we've showed you the house, I'll show you where you'll be staying."

When Sonic directed them to the door that Tails pointed out to be Sonic's room, Shadow spoke up. "I can stay with the pack outdoors if needed to be. You don't need to-."

"It's alright! It's just a guest room!" Sonic cut him off with a friendly grin. "You shared the den with me while we're on the island, so think of this as returning the favor." He opened the door and chuckled as Shadow stepped inside almost cautiously. He remembered when that had been him in Shadow's place, hovering at the entrance of the den and not sure if Shadow was fine with him sleeping with the pack.

Shadow carefully entered the room, ingrained instincts making him watch Sonic for approval before essentially entering the blue hedgehog's territory. It was only right to be respectful, since this was now Sonic's domain, not Shadow's.

And once he did, his eyes were drawn to the cluttered mess that was Sonic's room. He did not need his nose to tell him who this room belonged to. Without needing to notice Sonic's scent concentrated strongly in the area, he could already tell.

Everything about the room was personalized in some way. The shelves lining the walls were filled with Sonic's belongings, mostly boxes full of souvenirs from his trips or other knickknacks. There were also other items of Sonic placed here and there; an electric guitar that looked old but well-cared for, some well-worn books, an entire rack full of CDs, one or two music sheets scattered in the open, and equipment to go with the electric guitar.

Photos were placed everywhere on the walls, almost an entire collage that depicted Sonic's life, and to an extension, Sonic himself. Now, it didn't mean that all the pictures were of Sonic alone. There were as many photos of his friends as there were of landscapes and locations Shadow had no idea existed.

Either way, this entire room was Sonic's, despite being called a guest room. It made Shadow even less eager to take it as his. Why was Sonic essentially giving up his territory to another? As far as Shadow was concerned, it went against his instincts. Sharing territory was not what two males in the wild would do. It just promoted competition for survival and was, basically, a very stupid move. So why?

"OK, so it's not much of a guest room..." Sonic spoke up, breaking Shadow out of his thoughts. "But a small clean-up will fix that. Anyways, I want to show you something."

The blue hedgehog gestured for Shadow to sit while he headed over to one of the shelves. Shadow made himself comfortable on the rug-covered floor and hummed in thought as he brushed his bare hand against the soft fur-like texture. He had never seen a rug before; the ARK never had one onboard and while there were animal skins used for bedding, they weren't as fluffy and soft. He found himself becoming attached to the softness, something that felt much more comfortable than the bedding back in the cave...

The thought made him miss the scent of pack, grass and dirt though.

Sonic sat down next to him and, almost without thought, Shadow moved closer to see what the blue hedgehog had in his hands. It was a thick book, the covers bound in some thick texture with gold words spelling out the title. "It's an album, something to store photos in," Sonic explained once he saw the inquiring look Shadow sent him. "This one's full of photos from my travels. Since we can't exactly take off for the first hand experience, this is the next best thing."

He flipped open the cover, and within a matter of minutes, Shadow found himself immersed in places that he had never known of.

Mountains that towered so high that they almost touched the sky, endless stretches of grass and flowers, forests and woods with age-old trees, jungles so hot and humid, deserts where only the harshest of lives survived and so many other wonders of nature. But there were also photos of the opposite nature. Cities and towns, some with throngs of people and others located in isolated areas, some made of metal, steel, concrete and glass, and others of simple materials found in nature, some in monochrome, others in colors and so much more...

Maybe he would get to see them in person rather than through a photo someday...

* * *

 **Review Responses!**

 **GuardianDragon98: That is a good scenario! I can also see Shadow trying to stop his pack from being nosy, only to become curious himself and end up making a bigger mess! Lol. Though, the Black Arms don't have tentacles. If you want an image, check out my deviantart page Layla-Maine-Lune. Either way, thanks for the review!**

 **ThinMintE: To reply to your statement of 'Sonic and Shadow are adorable', I say, 'That is the reason why Sonadow is taking over the world (or at the least, the fandom)'. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on the statement. I haven't looked at the Sonadow section in a while...** **Anyways, since you would like to see the tour, here it is! And while author-me wants the Black Arms to investigate the devices, story-Tails says 'no!' He doesn't want his house be destroyed. And the incident that led to the Black Arms being afraid of Tails that I keep mentioning is actually an idea for 30 DAYS, a combination of my own spin plus another's prompt.**

 **SharpDragonKlaw: Your wish to see reactions is my response to write them in this chapter. And everyone can agree that last-minute packing is very stressful, especially when there are many people doing it at the same time in the same house.**

 **Dragonlver22: I'm actually more on the action side of things myself. I really want to dive into the plot. But then again, the tour sounds interesting to tackle as well, since I'll have to make an exposition of sorts, and try to do it in an interesting way. Here's to hoping that I succeed on that front! And thanks for the review! The feedback I get is just as helpful! So don't worry about whether it is helpful or not; I'm just glad to hear from you :)!**


	21. Chapter 18

**OK, here's another chapter for the middle of the month! Sorry it's a little short.**

* * *

Chapter 18

While Sonic was regaling Shadow with tales of his exploits, Tails had led the Black Arms out of the house, where the rest of the pack had just finished exploring the surrounding area on the cliff. "OK guys, feel free to explore the meadow!" Tails called out as the black beasts joined the others, chattering back and forth. In no time, the pack had organized themselves and quickly scattered into different teams. Soon, there were only elders, a few mothers and the pups remaining near the house.

Tails watched as the Black Arms disappeared to the meadows before heading back inside. There were plenty of things to do, mainly preparing a place for the Black Arms to stay. Out here, there were no caves for several miles, and certainly no cave big enough to house all the Black Arms. The meadows were too open, not something the pack would be happy about. As such, the only other options were either the underground hangar or the storage room in the house.

The underground hangar wasn't the best spot though, not with the Blue Typhoon currently being docked there. In addition, the fox had plans to add more vehicles inside the hangar. _'So the storage room it is,'_ Tails thought as he headed back inside the house. Despite how small it may look from the outside, Tails' house was actually huge if one thought about it. The underground hangar, the workshop-turned basement and the storage room were the main reasons why. Most of the large rooms were beneath the house, which was probably the reason behind its seemingly-small size.

Tails moved up the stairs and passed by Sonic's room. As he did, his ears caught the faint sound of laughter and a familiar voice describing an equally familiar adventure. _''I have something to do', huh?'_ Tails thought with a small amused huff. _'Well, it wouldn't be Sonic if otherwise. But then again…'_

Tails knew, from firsthand experience no less, how Sonic would go a mile (literally, and make that several miles) for anyone he cared about, or anyone he felt was under his protection. It was a part of being a hero; to protect others, to put others' wellbeing above themselves. But the fox also knew that Sonic valued his freedom; he wouldn't obey the public's whims if they went against him.

And that made the relation with Shadow surprising, yet not at the same time.

What was surprising was how it started. In the very beginning, Shadow was a stranger, even a threat. Sonic disappeared for a day (and by Knuckles' angry words, the blue hedgehog was actually kidnapped, with Shadow and the Black Arms being the culprits), and when he came back, with the aforementioned culprits in tow, it was also with injuries that came during his time with Shadow.

But he treated the black hedgehog like a friend. Why would Sonic be so friendly to a stranger that not only kidnapped him, but also (indirectly) brought harm to him?

It was more understandable once Tails was informed of Shadow's memory loss. Perhaps that was the answer; Sonic's hero tendencies acting up to try and help someone who the blue hedgehog saw as in need.

Later on, that surprise faded away. During that one month on the island, Tails witnessed how the bond between the two hedgehogs grew. Heck, the fox could even see the reasons; someone who could keep up with Sonic, especially with his speed, and someone who also watched out for the blue hedgehog? It was not surprising at all that Sonic grew fond of Shadow.

 _'_ _But then again, it is Shadow that's also involved. I don't think Sonic would do the same if it were someone else,'_ Tails finished his thought.

A surprised laugh reached his ears, from a deeper voice that noted it as Shadow's. The fox couldn't help a smile. _'And I have a feeling that's the same case for Shadow. Sonic does have a tendency to grow on you.'_

The door to the storage room soon came into view and Tails put away the thoughts of Sonic and Shadow for later. Right now, he had work to do.

* * *

Now, a little bit of exposition.

The storage room was not just a simple room on one floor. Not only was it quite large with plenty of horizontal space, it was also with verticality, a room that spanned all the way from the first floor to the attic. So, from the outside, it looked like a tall rectangular box was attached to the side of the house, reaching right up to the roof.

Inside, there were several large platforms, connected to each other by hanging walkways. On these platforms were several objects.

The platforms on the left wall held crates containing materials Tails used for his projects (and there were a _lot_ of crates since he needed plenty of materials for his bigger projects. _'Though I'll have to start restocking soon…'_ Tails inwardly took note). On the opposite wall, there were devices (mostly prototypes) that Tails had built or invented. And on the last wall, facing the door, the platforms stored other more normal supplies like extra furniture, boxes full of old supplies stored for either disposal or due to sentiments and such.

If Tails had to move these boxes by himself to make room for the Black Arms, he wouldn't be able to even clear the platforms on the first level before several hours had passed. _'It's a good thing I installed the moving platform feature,'_ the fox thought, shuddering at the idea of having to move the boxes by himself.

Entering the room, Tails turned to the wall space next to the door and took off one glove, before pressing his hand against it. A line of light appeared, moving from bottom to top. Once his handprint was scanned, a small panel revealed itself.

Tails put his glove back on and pressed several keys on the panel. There was a quiet beep, before the platforms started moving. The walkways were made to accommodate for the movement, so there was no issue as the platforms that were completely occupied moved to settle at the bottom of the room. As such, the platforms that did have room were now all up on the second floor. _'Now, just a little adjustments and home decorating, and the new den space for the pack will be ready!'_

* * *

As Tails busied himself preparing accommodations for the Black Arms, Sonic himself was also preparing his space for Shadow, despite the black hedgehog's quiet yet forceful protest. "Hedgehog, look, I can stay with the pack just fine," Shadow growled even while the blue hedgehog zipped around the room, cleaning up his belongings. "There's no need for you to offer yours."

"It's fine!" Sonic chirped, equally stubborn as he stacked another box of his belongings on the small pile outside in the hallway. Despite how cluttered his room looked, when it was all packed away, there was surprisingly not many things as one would initially think. "I've been meaning to do this anyways. It's about time I have a place of my own, you know?"

Shadow paused at that. If that was the case, then Shadow could understand Sonic's feelings. In the terms of the wild that the black hedgehog understood better, Sonic had been sharing territory (i.e. the guest room) with his brother-kit. But as with all animals, once the kits grew up, they had to separate from the older ones and find new territories of their own to claim. So, by Sonic finding his own place, it meant that the fox kit had grown up and the hedgehog was now looking for his own territory.

Still, it didn't explain why Sonic was offering what was once his territory to Shadow. The part of Shadow that grew up in the wilderness couldn't understand the logic. It would make more sense to him if he had fought Sonic and won the rights for the territory, but that wasn't the case. Sonic was _offering._

The part of Shadow that was made up with slowly-recovering memories didn't see anything wrong with the action, which just created a confusing tug-of-war between the two sides.

"Alright! That's everything!"

Sonic plopped down the last box outside, leaving behind a room that contained only the shelves, the hammock and the rug. The blue hedgehog eyeballed the hammock and turned to Shadow. "Do you want to try sleeping in a hammock?"

The black hedgehog frowned and stared at the aforementioned object. In all of his memories, he had never seen a hammock before. How did others even sleep in something like that? He eyed the rug below and firmly settled down on it, earning a chuckle from Sonic. "OK, that answers that question then." He took down the hammock and placed it on top of the boxes. "I'll grab some cushions and some more rugs. In the meantime, feel free to explore outside."

Shadow hummed in agreement at the suggestion. He got up and headed out of the room, descending the stairs and exiting the house. Sonic waited until the black hedgehog was out of earshot before breathing out a sigh.

In truth, there was another reason why he was adamant on having Shadow use the guest room.

With the return of memories from the ARK, Shadow was changing. Heck, he was already changing even with Sonic introducing the black hedgehog to new things like 'videos' and 'cooking'. It might be presumptuous of Sonic to think that he knew what the black hedgehog would do, but he felt that there was the slightest chance that once Shadow recovered all of his memories, he wouldn't be content with returning to the wild.

If that were the case, as slim of a chance as it was, Shadow would need a place to stay. Just like Sonic did once Tails settled down in this house.

 _'_ _I did say it is a guest room,'_ Sonic thought in ill-timed humor as he moved the boxes downstairs, inside the living room. _'It's just more long-termed than a normal guest room.'_

* * *

 **You know, while I was typing this, I realized something.**

 **Do I use the gag of Tails having to move boxes as a device to move the plot along, multiple times?**

 **I don't know if this is true; it might be the numerous times I rewrote the chapters and they're all mixing together in my memory. But if it is so…**

 **Who votes that I keep it as a running gag?**

 **Anyway, over to the more serious stuff. So here, Tails basically explained what his thoughts are about the bond between Sonic and Shadow. What about you guys? How do you think the two hedgehogs get to where they are?**

 **And also, Sonic revealed his plans to integrate Shadow back into society. Of course, it depends on Shadow's decision, but the timing was too good to pass up; Sonic is about to leave for his own place and he wanted to help Shadow feel more comfortable living away from the island. So, why not offer a place to stay? It killed two Flickies with one stone!**

 **Review Responses!**

 **GuardianDragon98: Tails might be young, but he is also a super genius. Coming up with some creative pranks is a piece of cake (also helps that Sonic himself has a knack for pranks of his own XD).**

 **SharpDragonKlaw: For some reason, when I read your review, an image of an evil overlord Tails giving an evil laugh while the Black Arms cowered in his shadow popped into my head and nearly made me bust a gut in laughter! And since there might not be a chance for Shadow to explore the world just yet, Sonic's doing something about it!**

 **ThinMintE: The Black Arms aren't entirely mischievous in nature, but even so, they definitely will think twice next time! And Sonic actually lived with Tails for the first few years after the kit got the house, just to make sure he got settled in nicely (though I headcanon that it only lasted for years because Sonic was being overprotective ;)). But now, he's planning on moving out and getting his own place (maybe it will be something like his beach shack in Sonic Boom).**

 **Guest: Thanks for your review! I'm glad you like this story!**

 **OK! Hope to see you guys at the end of this month for another update!**


	22. Chapter 19

**Here's another chapter for the end of the month/beginning of the next month, depending on the time zones you guys have. After this chapter, I will be going on a temporary hiatus, since it's time I cycle through the fandoms again. This is something I do semi-frequently; when I have exhausted all Sonic fanfictions or media, I would move onto another fandom, do the same and move on and on until I come back to the Sonic fandom. So, since I'll be moving onto another fandom, my Sonic fanfics won't be updated for a while. Of course, this means they will only be on hiatus, not discontinued. So never fear about that!**

 **Now, on with the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 19

A salt-filled breeze greeted Shadow as he exited the house. It reminded him of his home island so much that it took him a few seconds to remember that that was not the case. Still, it was comforting to him to be somewhere familiar; he wasn't sure how he would react if he was to face the more populated areas right off the bat. Even the thought of having to interact with other mobians and humans, who were strangers basically, had him frowning and on edge.

But it was not something Shadow could avoid, and the hedgehog knew it. So, rather than running away from the problem, he would just have to confront it head on. He could only hope that it wouldn't turn out disastrous on his front (by his front, he meant either his pack or Sonic and his group; the rest were literally strangers, so Shadow wouldn't care what happened to them).

Another breeze blew by, and Shadow pulled himself out of his thoughts. Out of curiosity, he turned around to see what the kit's den (house, den, both had the same meanings to Shadow) looked like. And in his honest opinion, it was easily the most unique thing he had ever seen, rivalling perhaps even the transport ( _'the Blue Typhoon,' Shadow corrected himself_ ) that carried him and his pack here.

It had the vaguest shape of a house, or what counted as a house from Shadow's brief memories. Then, it looked as if someone had slap-dashed random bits and pieces of everything into that house shape, creating the strangest amalgamation. There were several devices sticking out of the building, devices that looked somewhat similar to those up on the ARK. Then, in controversy to the technology, there were plants and flowers here and there, either in pots, in window sills or climbing up the walls. All in all, very weird and unique. Plus, it looked rather surprisingly small from the front… Shadow could have sworn that the house was much bigger than what it appeared to be from outside…

The black hedgehog wondered if this was what all mobian houses looked like (he would perhaps be even more amazed when he finds out that no, instead, other mobians' houses also somehow incorporated plant shapes like mushrooms or tree stumps as their house shape).

Shaking his head, he turned back to the meadows stretching down from the house on top of the cliff. To his right, there was the indent, under which laid the underground hangar. It curved like a crescent, ending with another cliff similar to the one the house was on. And beyond everything was the ocean, a familiar sight. It turned out that the view of the ocean from the island was not so different to the view of the same place from elsewhere.

But thinking about the ocean had him thinking about the island again, so to stop himself from circling through the same thoughts over and over, he turned towards the Black Arms that were stationed next to the house. He recognized the elders, the mothers and their pups. _'Where's the rest? Perhaps they're out exploring?' "_ Fire-Streak, where's the rest of the pack?" he asked one of the elders.

The elderly Black Arm hummed, his bright eyes contrasting with the dullness of the rest of his body. "They've formed groups, each choosing a new leader, and went out on their own," he replied, to which Shadow snorted in disbelief. Back when he was just newly made leader, words like those would have shocked him into panic, but he now knew better.

"Fire-Streak, while you may find amusement in whatever joke you're playing on me, I do not," the black hedgehog deadpanned. "Where are the pack?"

Fire-Streak grumbled, even though he already knew that Shadow wouldn't fall for his words anymore. But hey, an elder had to find entertainment where he could! "They went exploring," he replied, turning his head away and his ears flicking in a way that displayed casual disinterest. "They split up into groups and headed out into the meadows."

"Thank you," Shadow nodded and left the elder to his rest as he started heading down the meadows.

The meadows were large, full of tall grass that reached almost up to Shadow's chest in some areas and very few trees. It was open and wide, yet if Shadow crouched down, he felt as if he had dove down into a completely different world, one of green grass, damp earth and small living creatures. New scents tickled his nose, some foreign like the scent of unknown birds (though he could tell they were birds by the feathers scattered on the ground, and the strange musk that was not of fur), and some familiar like the scent of rabbits. With a deep breath, he took it all in. Curiosity was alit inside him, and he kept walking onwards, eager to explore this new terrain.

As he passed through the sea of grass, more familiar scents reached him. It was the scent of his pack, forming a border of sorts as it circled around and zigzagged inside said circle. _'They're already marking territory,'_ Shadow noted with a pleased hum. He would have to see how far it truly stretched later.

By following the scents, it was not long before he came across his pack. It also helped that they were rather easy to spot, with their black hides standing out against the brightly-colored surroundings and their tall heights negating any possible cover the grass could offer. _'It will not be easy to hunt in these conditions, without any place to hide,'_ Shadow thought with a deep frown, concerned for his pack's survival. _'Not to mention, if we are to make a den, we can't make it out here. It's too open. Anyone can easily spot us. And the mountains we saw are too far away. Even with the fox's transport, it is a waste to make a den so far away from his…'_

He approached the pack, and he noticed that they were attempting to hunt. Their quarry were several rabbits, having stumbled across a warren. It was a mad chase through the tall grass. The rabbits were agile and quick on their feet, evading death's jaws by the slightest margins. But the Black Arms were strong and large, able to overcome any distance the rabbits might have put between themselves and their hunters. In the end, the rabbits were ran down and the Black Arms proudly held up their prizes.

Perhaps they would be able to adapt to hunting in this terrain after all. Though it still left the issues of having a den out in the open…

"Shadow!" Red-Tail's ears perked up when he noticed his leader approaching. He turned around, a fat rabbit dangling from his jaws. "We haven't seen any deer or boars yet, but they might be further inside the forest just ahead," he informed the hedgehog as he placed the rabbit down at Shadow's feet before sitting on his haunches while the black hedgehog tore off the rabbit's leg for himself. It was something of a ritual among the pack; usually, it would be the entire pack that would offer the leader a portion of their kills.

But back then, when Shadow first became their leader, there were too little pack members and Shadow himself insisted that the members kept their kills without offering them to him in order to let the pups eat as much as they want. As such, the tradition changed so that Shadow could choose whether to hunt his own prey down or share it with just one of the Black Arms, usually Red-Tail since he was the second-in-command.

"We've managed to hunt down a bird or two as well," Red-Tail commented while Shadow took a bite out of the leg, inwardly noting its slightly different taste. "The birds here are small, but there are also those that don't fly as much, making them easier to hunt down. There are also small rodents…a LOT of small rodents…" To punctuate that statement, one of the juveniles in the background tossed a mouse up into the air, before chomping it down as it dropped into the waiting jaws.

"There are also small creatures that are slightly smaller than the rabbits, but rather vicious. They smell like carnivores. And Ruby-Claw spotted a fox as well…though it isn't as friendly as the kit." A smirk which the Black Arm copied from Shadow crossed his face. "She…might have tried to play with the fox…"

"It did not go well," Shadow huffed knowingly, to which Red-Tail barked in a laughing manner. "Well, it doesn't look like we'll have to worry too much about prey. But what about a suitable place for a den?"

"We still haven't finished exploring all of the meadows. We plan to take them over, before moving further away, into the forest. There might be a good spot there," Red-Tail replied, taking the rest of the rabbit once Shadow finished eating. As the Black Arm easily finished off the prey with some bites, he added, "One good thing about plentiful small prey, we can easily finish off our meals without having to store them away. Though I would still recommend storing prey for leaner months..."

Shadow nodded in agreement. A comfortable silence rested between the two before the Black Arm's words chased it away. "How are you finding this place?"

"…Good," Shadow grunted. "Familiar, yet different… The familiarities put me at ease…"

"The pack feels the same way," Red-Tail rumbled. "The scent of ocean is something they know. This is just a larger island with more areas to explore. As you said, it has its differences, but that is something that won't be an obstacle for long."

"But things are still changing," Shadow pointed out. "…I feel…I feel like _I_ am changing as well."

Red-Tail paused at that. As much as he would like to reassure Shadow with words the black hedgehog wanted to hear, it would be a lie. Shadow _was_ changing, but in a good way (in Red-Tail and the entire pack's opinion). He spent less time inside the den or out on his own, and more time with his pack and with Sonic or Tails (and sometimes, even the red one when he came over for a brief visit). His eyes no longer looked clouded when they gazed somewhere far, far away, no longer confused and adrift.

With the return of his memories, Shadow was changing. He was talking more, being all around more active than listlessly wandering around their territory or idling away at the beach.

If Red-Tail had to put it in a few words, he would say that Shadow was becoming _whole,_ as if missing pieces were being recovered bit by bit. And it wasn't a bad change.

Filled with determination at that thought, Red-Tail replied, "Change isn't bad, Shadow, especially the way you are changing. Sure, you're still prone to brooding; I don't think _that's_ changing anytime soon." Shadow snapped his teeth at Red-Tail in mock-irritation, to which the Black Arm merely snickered and snapped back playfully. "But the changes you are going through, they are _good_ changes. The puzzle that is you is being completed. When you have all your memories, you will be complete."

"…What would it mean for me to be complete?" Shadow asked quietly, his voice firm but the tone soft so that it didn't break, because for Chaos' sake, that was what he was terrified of. What would happen _afterwards_? Would he find Maria and Professor Gerald, still alive and happy to see him? Or would things have changed during the ten years? What about the pack? What if Maria is frightened of them? What if, after Shadow recovered his memories, he would have to make a choice between his lost past and his current present? How could he choose one over the other, when both his pack and Maria mean _so much to him_?

"I don't know, Shadow," Red-Tail murmured quietly, as if sensing the downward-spiraling mood. "I can't see the future after all. And it may seems daunting, but it is what we have to face everyday. And you don't have to face it alone, you know. You have us. We'll be there, wherever you choose to go."

 _'...'_ It still didn't calm down the storm inside Shadow, but it gave him some reassurance to hear that he wouldn't be alone. He didn't want to be completely alone again...

* * *

 **Well, that's a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.**

 **In my opinion, my AU Shadow has another dimension to the usual 'I'm the Ultimate Lifeform! Fear me!' deal. Because while he's still tough in those regards, he also has this fear of losing his important things. He lost his memories, he lost Maria and Gerald, and now, if he finds them again, what would they think about his pack? Would he have to choose his past and end up losing his pack because of it?**

 **Because he isn't exactly clueless; Sonic and Tails pushing to be secretive about his pack's existence implies that the modern people will be very put off by the Black Arms if they know about them. So, he fears that Maria and Gerald would have the same response.**

 _ **N** **ote that he still hasn't recovered much of his memories; he still doesn't know the entire story about his creation. All he knows is that he's an experiment with some connection to the Black Arms; he doesn't know that he holds Black Arm DNA himself. So, he doesn't know that if Maria and Gerald meet his pack, they're more likely to accept them than shun them.**_

 **Plus, the reason why he is fearful is because he wants both things; he wants both his past (memories, Maria, Gerald) and his present (the pack). He doesn't want to end up choosing between the two, and it's not as if he can get angry at his past and present because he loves them dearly.**

 **If it were a case where something he hates is trying to get in the way, he would be less mopey and more prone to raining destruction and terror upon the obstacle.**

 **Anyway, what are your thoughts on this AU Shadow?**

 **Review Responses!**

 **ThinMintE: Will do!**

 **SharpDragonKlaw: That's two votes yes! And that's probably all the votes I'll be getting, so that's it! Be prepared to see more Tails moving boxes as a gag! And bleeding heart syndrome is a good name for what I see as Sonic's hero-complex. The guy just can't stop sticking his nose into others' business and trying to help in some way.**

 **Guest: Thanks for your review! And yes, Shadow will meet Sonic's friends soon. I'd say….three or two chapters later? Too soon to tell, but it's definitely going to happen!**

 **OK! That's all for the Sonic fandom for now! *Packs up bags and laptop* I'm a-heading out now! Onwards to another fandom I go!**


	23. Chapter 20

**Alright, I am back.**

 **Sorry for the long hiatus everyone. Recently, as in ever since August 2019, school was back in my life. So I left the fanfiction scene to fully focus on my education. I did come back for the December holidays, but that was spent on Where the Wind Blows Rewrite, so it didn't quite count.**

 **Now, I have a problem. My memory stick/hard disk that contained my future plans/plots/drafts/etc. on all of my fanfics is out of commission. The data isn't lost by all means, but I cannot access it right now. I was planning to visit my family and get it fixed (because the means to do so unfortunately aren't in my area), but with the whole COVID-19 going on, I had to cancel those plans.**

 **It means I have only the vaguest inkling/memory of where I am going with this fanfic. I am a bit screwed...**

 **Of course, it won't stop me entirely, but it will slow me down by a lot. So please be patient with me and I cannot thank the readers/favorites/followers enough for sticking with this fanfic of mine!**

 **Without further ado, I present the next chapter. Replies to reviews at the end. And as always, thank you to ThinMintE for betaing my chapters, and I do not own the Sonic franchise.**

* * *

Chapter 20

By the time the pack had their fill of exploring their newly-found territory, the sun was already setting. Shadow kept watch of the sky as it slowly changed color, the red and orange hues deepening to purple before settling on a dark blue, dotted with stars. Another thing that had not changed; the sunsets were the same, even away from the island. The stars were at slightly different positions, but they were still there as well.

It made his current feelings, his lack of stability within this sea of change, all the more obvious and daunting.

A brush against his arm brought his attention to the Black Arm by his side. Red-Tail's eyes glinted with an almost supernatural glow to them, and what would have been a frightening sight to others was comforting to Shadow. Red-Tail, his pack, they were his anchor. They even crossed an entire ocean, left their home island, all for him. The black hedgehog knew that as long as his pack was with him, he would find the strength to keep going on.

To keep what he found precious to him safe.

"We should go back to the kit's den," Red-Tail murmured, lightly pushing Shadow in the direction of said den. The black hedgehog nodded in agreement and started the trek back up, his pack following closely behind.

As night fell, Shadow noticed the windows were full of light. A strange sight, when he was more used to coming back to a den dark and dim with only the occasional moonlight as the only source of light. But somehow, the sight of the two mobians waiting in front of the door, smiling at their arrival, made this strange sight feel so warm...

"Welcome back!" Sonic greeted them exuberantly. "We've got a surprise for you!"

 _'A surprise?'_ Shadow wondered, even as he was pulled inside the house.

With the pack at their heels, Sonic and Tails led them to the storage room. "We know that our place isn't in the best spot for a den, so we decided to convert this room for you guys to stay in!" the two-tailed fox explained as he swung open the door.

What was once a storage room was now converted into a livable space for the Black Arms. As mentioned previously, the unoccupied platforms had been moved to settle closer to the door with all the filled platforms resting at the lowest point of the room. Only now, the unoccupied platforms were furnished with what appeared to be rugs, mattresses and even pelts, all of them Sonic and Tails had gathered from their travels. The artificial lighting has also changed from a bright white glow to a more neutral yellow light reminiscent of the afternoon sunlight streaming in through the jungle's canopy.

Like a pack of curious puppies, the Black Arms scrambled into the room and explored their living space eagerly, delighting in the softness of their bedding, the warmth of the room and the comfortable lighting that made the place feel more like a den. Some were curiously staring down from the walkways at the lower levels while others were even trying out some jumps from one platform to another. It was certainly very interactive for them and they loved it.

"Nice job Tails," Sonic whistled, eyeing the furnishing with nostalgia. "I remember those pelts. Holoska, right?"

"And from that one time when you nearly got eaten by a polar bear," Tails added almost nonchalantly, pointing at the skinned pelt of said polar bear. The blue hedgehog nearly choked at that, spluttering in disbelief. "I found the hunter that killed it, recognized it as the polar bear you told me from the blue quills stuck in its fur, and bought it as a souvenir."

"I...I suppose that is a souvenir as any..." Sonic coughed once he recovered. "As morbid as it is..."

Tails snickered at Sonic's words, a fleeting moment of amusement before seriousness took over his features. "Well, I got plans for tomorrow. The president has set up a meeting in the morning to discuss about our findings from the island (of course, barring Shadow and the Black Arms). I'll be heading to Central City at seven. The president invited you as well Sonic. He wants to talk to you."

"Probably about that emergency from the email," Sonic hummed, a slight frown pulling at his lips. "Any idea what that could be, Tails?"

"Well, on one hand, it can be something completely unrelated to Eggman. On the other..."

"It is about Eggman," Sonic sighed. He felt a bit sad that his vacation from world-saving was over, but the part of him that thrived off danger was starting to feel eager. The evil doctor had been laying low for a long while already and that usually meant he was hatching a plan. "Wonder what he plans to do this time."

"It'd probably be something bigger than a normal robot attack like he usually does," Tails fretted, his tails starting to twist nervously around each other. "I'll check up on things, see if there's been anything going wrong before we got back home. Maybe we'll be able to figure out his plan ahead and stop it if there's a good clue." Without wasting another second, Tails hurried back down to his workshop, muttering plans along the way.

"Be back in time for dinner," Sonic reminded before the fox was completely out of earshot.

"Who is this Eggman you were talking about?" Shadow decided to ask afterwards, seeing that Sonic and Tails had finished their discussion. So far, he had not yet heard about this individual, but from the way the two mobians spoke about him, it seemed he was a nuisance.

"Eggman is...well, can I say evil?" Sonic mused, stuck somewhere between humor and defeat. "He committed many crimes, many of which I am hard-pressed to forgive. He is my arch-nemesis, so to speak, with ambitions of taking over the world and building his Eggman Empire." At the disbelieving look on Shadow's face upon hearing the name, Sonic chuckled. "Yes, his naming scheme is like that; every one of his robots and inventions must have the word 'egg' in some way or form in it."

"A fascination with eggs?" Shadow asked, completely serious.

"Considering that he basically looks like an egg with limbs, I think you are on to something there!" Sonic replied with a louder chuckle. "But, despite his appearance, he is anything but harmless. As much as I would hate to stroke that ego of his, he is smart. He also doesn't hesitate to pull out the dirtier tricks to get what he wants."

Shadow watched in intrigue as Sonic's eyes seemed to dance between amusement and grim, the emerald hues never settling on one. "Of course, he can also be...not stupid per se, but, too smart for his own good. He comes up with these grand schemes, and while they work on paper, it isn't the same in practice." There was a slight pause before Sonic turned towards the door. "He has been quiet for the past month. It's usually not a good sign, as much as I hate to say that."

"Is that why you decided to come back?" Shadow asked quietly, following the blue hedgehog down the stairs.

"Yeah." Sonic's grin was full of confidence, pride and joy as he gestured towards one of the walls of the living room as they passed by the place. On it was a collage of news clippings, and at a closer look, they all held the image of Sonic, each progressively changing with age from a young pup to the teen he was now. "I am the Hero after all. It's my job to look after the people. Whenever Eggman decides to show up and put others in danger, I'll be there to save them."

Shadow's brow furrowed at the word. 'Hero'. It was a word he heard Sonic being referred to as constantly, but he never quite caught onto its meaning. But from what Sonic said, it was his 'job' to look after others. To protect them from danger. In any other context, Shadow would liken the word 'hero' to 'leader', since they seemed to share the same duty. However, unlike a 'leader', Sonic didn't seem to lead a pack. He didn't even seem to have one beyond the fox and the echidna.

"Looks like we're having stir fry for dinner."

Sonic inwardly grinned when the mention of 'stir fry' and 'dinner' immediately got Shadow's attention. It was a pleasant surprise to learn that Shadow was a foodie; having never eaten cooked food or anything that wasn't raw meat before, the black hedgehog was always willing to try out new foods. _'Will have to add going on a foodie spree in the city tomorrow to the plans.'_ "Wanna help me?"

"...Alright."

* * *

"Tails! Dinner's ready!"

The two-tailed fox perked up at the shout. His stomach also chose that moment to remind him of the fact that it had been some hours since he last ate. Taking in the screen's display for one last time with narrowed blue eyes, he put his computer into hibernate mode and headed for the kitchen where he could already smell the fried meat and vegetables. Once dinner was done, he would take the time to inform Sonic of what he found.

Tails entered the kitchen just as the food was being served. Rice and stir fry, simple and easy to make. The two hedgehogs were just sitting at the small table that was almost cramped as it was intended for two people (Sonic and Tails rarely had visitors, or if they did, Sonic was usually out of the house). Tails grinned at the sight as he squeezed into his seat, eyeing the bowl of stir fry. "Looks good, Sonic."

"Of course it does!" Sonic laughed, a particular mischief in his face. "Shadow helped make it after all."

"Really?" Tails gave the black hedgehog a smile that went unseen as Shadow seemed invested in trying to make sense of the spoon and fork, the cutlery appearing somewhat clumsy in his hands.

"Why don't you give it a try?" Sonic asked nonchalantly.

Tails nodded in agreement and reached over to take a bite, just as Shadow also managed to get a spoonful into his mouth. There was a pause before Tails' face scrunched up as he swallowed harshly. "It's...very savory. A lot of salt and spice..." he rasped out, hand twitching to grab a cup of water.

Shadow's frown was thoughtful as he continued to eat. "Not bad. Maybe it could use just a little less salt."

Sonic's grin grew while watching Tails attempt to hold back a comment to that, a look of resignation on the fox's face as he hesitantly spooned some of the stir fry. "Shadow went a little overboard with the spices. Said he can't taste them well," he explained as he put some of the stir fry on his plastic plate of rice (all of their dishware were plastic plates, bowls and cutlery, mostly to prevent cases of breaking or shattering). "It's not that bad."

"Says the person who is used to eating unbearably spicy chili dogs," Tails muttered, his spoon about 90% rice just to counter the extreme flavor.

Sonic shrugged. "It's Shadow's first time cooking. All in all, at least it is edible, and stir fry is easy to make. Just wait until we get to the more complicated recipes."

The horrified look on Tails' face and the contemplative curiosity on Shadow's made Sonic's day, the blue hedgehog hiding his laughter behind his hand.

* * *

Once dinner was done and the leftover stir fry packaged (to never be seen again in Tails' honest opinion), Shadow retired to his pack while Tails and Sonic settled in the living room. "Sonic, I have some news," the two-tailed fox began while Sonic nursed a mug of hot chocolate. "You remember back on the ARK, I mentioned about how there were two deletes during the past ten years?"

Sonic hummed thoughtfully to himself. "...There was something about tracing one of the deletes back to its source, right? GUN?"

"Yeah. Eggman hasn't been up to his usual tricks during the month we were gone, but that itself is a warning itself. I haven't found anything wrong yet though. So I tackled the delete situation." Sonic leaned forward, all focused attention. "As far as we know, the ARK was closed down by GUN ten years ago because of an unnamed and unexplained accident. During that accident, Shadow's memories were...forcefully erased and there were signs of struggle and combat..."

The two mobians' eyes darkened at the reminder. Gunshots and the literal trauma left on Shadow's mind were not what one would call unintentional.

"Shadow managed to leave the ARK, land on Earth and here we are, ten years later." Tails took a deep breath, arranging the information in his mind. "As far as we know, Shadow was an experiment, something to do with Black Arms. He was taken care of, but...I suspect that it was not an easy life at all. Also, while there is no concrete confirmation, I think it's safe to assume that the accident and Shadow's memory being erased are connected on some level. And all of this had to do with GUN."

"I'll need to go through the files. Just what was the ARK doing? What else were they experimenting on? How is GUN related to this? Are there any survivors of the ARK incident? If so, can we meet them?" Tails huffed out a tired sigh, mind wandering back to the multiple files he would have to go through. "It will take a while to find this information. I'll try to get into GUN to see what I can find about the ARK as well. If it works, it will be faster."

"Shadow and I can help out," Sonic offered, setting down the cooling mug. "We can handle the files, as much as we can at least. All of this can be taken one step at a time. It might take some time, but there doesn't seem to be problems?"

Tails nodded to the question, but then hesitated. "...There is the more recent delete to think of though... I don't know who did it; they erased their tracks thoroughly... I don't think it's GUN. Why would they delete again after ten years? And while they could have improved in ten years, the erasure was thorough, _polished._ Honestly, this might be just me jumping to conclusions, but I can only think of a single person who have this much skill, know about the ARK and is interested in it to do something like this. I mean, there might be someone I don't know who might be the true culprit..."

"Don't wonder Tails. I know." Sonic looked rather grim. "I forgot to tell Shadow this. But the scientist Shadow knows, Gerald Robotnik, I am 100% sure Eggman is related to him. And yes, while there is no real proof, we cannot deny. Eggman is someone who knows about the ARK, is related to the ARK and have the skills you mentioned."

"Perhaps this is why he has been quite this whole time..." Tails murmured. "We really need to find out about Shadow's past. It might be the key to figuring out what Eggman is up to. In the meantime, we have a trip to the city tomorrow. The president might have more to say about this."

Sonic nodded in agreement and downed the rest of his now lukewarm chocolate. "Let's get some sleep then. Tomorrow, we'll see the president."

* * *

 **And that's it for this chapter.**

 **Why don't you guys take a gander at what possible scheme Eggman is cooking up?**

 **Review Responses**

 **GuardianDragon98: Thank you for your review! Yeah, Shadow has two things he cares about, and he doesn't want to abandon one for the other. Best case scenario would be if the two things accept each other. I can see Maria being doted on by the pack as their leader's sister while Gerald would spend his days observing the Black Arms (imagine him taking notes while a Black Arm chewed on some of his pencils or played with his journals). Of course, that's assuming if Maria and Gerald are still alive.**

 **My fandom trip didn't go well. Current situation: obsessed with Yu-Gi-Oh, trying to think of plot ideas and not being able to push it beyond a general skeleton beginning. Horrible...**

 **ThinMintE: I returned back in December, and now again for summer vacation!  
** **Edit 30/5: I've sent a doc x over for review. Just putting it out there in case you haven't got the notification?**

 **The great fan: Here's the next chapter! Thank you for reading this fanfic of mine!**


	24. Chapter 21

**This is a doozy to put out... Here, we'll be addressing the reason why the president wanted Sonic's presence back in his country. Speaking of which, how awkward do you think it will be to keep referring to locations as 'the place' or 'the country' or even 'the continent'? Anyways, hope you'll enjoy this chapter! Review Responses will be at the bottom.**

* * *

Chapter 21

"The city?"

Sonic nodded as he set down the plate full of chili dogs onto the table. "Yeah. Tails and I have to see the president about our trip. Plus, it will be a good chance for you to see what the city looks like."

"Central City is where the president is," Tails added through a mouthful of toast while his free hand fiddled with his Miles Electric. "It is also where two of our friends, Amy and Cream, are currently residing. They frequently visit us during the weekends or holidays."

"And it is also where one of the Chaos Emeralds is stored!" Sonic interjected with a bright smile despite the twitch under his eye. "Perhaps we should check it out today. Here Tails, want more toast?"

Shadow looked more interested upon the mention of the Chaos Emeralds while Tails snorted and sent a knowing look towards the blue hedgehog. "Why yes Sonic, I would like some more toast," he replied cheekily, holding out his empty plate.

Sonic glared back playfully and placed a slightly-more-burnt toast on the plate. Tails smirked back and maintained eye contact while he bit into the burnt side, chewing pointedly. "Hmm, tasty."

"What are you two doing?" Shadow asked exasperatedly, noticing the sparks flying between the two mobians.

"Oh, nothing at all!" both Sonic and Tails chirped cheerfully, turning towards Shadow with equally bright smiles. The black hedgehog made a small wince and he immediately turned away, mumbling under his breath about not wanting to deal with whatever the two brothers were up to. He quickly finished his own plate and stood up, taking it to the sink. Behind his back, Sonic and Tails shared a mischievous smirk.

Once breakfast was done, Tails got the Tornado 2 out of the Blue Typhoon. It took its place at the start of the runway and set itself against the catapults that would give it enough lift force for takeoff. He jumped into the cockpit while Shadow followed suit in the second compartment. "Sonic, you coming?" the two-tailed fox asked, seeing as Sonic had not boarded the jet-like plane.

"Nah. Flying's fun and all, but it's been a while since I ran. Gotta stretch these legs out you know," Sonic replied with an excited grin. "See you outside!" With that, he sprinted back upstairs and outside of the house. He stopped in the meadows and waited eagerly.

Tails put on his seat belt and pressed a button for the runway doors to open, revealing the clear blue skies and the ocean ahead. He pressed another button and took hold of the control wheel. "Takeoff in three, two, one!"

The propellers started to spin rapidly while the catapults released. The Tornado 2 sped across the runway and took to the air, quickly gaining altitude. Shadow glanced at the shrinking ground, curious to see how Sonic was planning to make the trip. In the cockpit, Tails counted down quietly.

"Three, two, one…"

Behind them, there was a loud boom and a visible ring spreading out. The sound and the force of air reached the plane, giving it a boosted lift as Tails took advantage of the slipstream. Shadow recovered and stared awestruck at the blue streak that shot off ahead. He knew Sonic was fast, but he never realized just how fast. It made their usual races look pathetic in comparison. "What was that?"

"That was Sonic," Tails replied, glancing briefly over his shoulder. "He hasn't had a chance to break the sound barrier for a while. He didn't want to do it on the island since that would mean breaking a lot of trees. That's the reason why we live further out from others."

Shadow nodded in understanding and watched until the blue streak disappeared over the horizon.

* * *

The landscape below gradually changed from the wilderness to the cityscape. Grass and trees diminished, the brown earth replaced by concrete and tarmac of streets. Shadow watched the change in intrigue, turning in his seat so that he could take in the sight of the tall skyscrapers, the busy-looking streets and the myriad of colors and activity bustling about.

He had never seen so many humans and mobians before. The thought that he would soon be down there among the masses made him tense in anticipation and anxiety.

A bright blue line of light drew his attention and Shadow turned to see Sonic, the blue hedgehog running not only on streets, but also on the buildings. As the Tornado 2 descended somewhat closer to the skyscrapers, Sonic suddenly made a sharp turn and started racing right up one of the taller buildings. At its apex, he jumped off, arcing right over the Tornado 2.

"HEEEEYYYYYYYYY!"

Shadow snorted when he heard the yell. He couldn't see Sonic through the blue corona of energy that surrounded him, but he was quite sure that the speedster was probably grinning like mad. Gravity soon took hold and Sonic hit the ground still running.

Red eyes kept watch as the blue hedgehog performed more stunts, taking on any form of architecture ranging from the straight and geometric to the loopy and curvy. A delighted laugh from the fox rang out when Sonic paused for a moment on top of a skyscraper, enough that they could see him clearly when he spread out his arms and comically fell over backwards, pretending to fumble with his fall before curling into a ball and hit the ground rolling.

The stunts continued until they reached their destination. It was a large white building, though unlike the others Shadow saw, it was not squeezed in amongst other buildings. Rather, this one boasted a large expanse of space.

Inwardly, Shadow analyzed the reason behind this space. From what he heard and understood, the president was someone with great power and influence, like a leader. And as a leader, perhaps this space was a show of their power, as it was a far cry from the others back in the city that were forced to share territories with how closely built their dens were. Though a part of him that was more pragmatic criticized the space as it doesn't seem to be used for anything productive, unlike his hunting grounds back on the island.

"Are all human leaders this extravagant?" he asked the two-tailed fox.

"It is their way of showing their wealth and power," Tails explained while maneuvering the Tornado 2 to land in a free space. "In their minds, being able to afford more luxuries and materials than others showed that they are able to live more comfortably and thus having a higher status. It is like having the most amount of meat and water, or the most amount of territory."

There was a gust of wind and Sonic came to a stop next to the Tornado 2. The blue hedgehog was grinning widely, blue energy still fizzing in his quills. "That was a good warmup," he laughed, almost bouncing in place. "I'll have to visit some of the Zones afterwards. Nothing like a good challenge to get your blood pumping. Wanna come for that too, Shadow?"

"Yes," Shadow agreed as he unbuckled his seat belt and stood up. Red eyes narrowed when he noticed the approaching humans. He jumped off to stand next to Sonic, back straight and chin tilted up.

"They're the president's men," Sonic explained quietly when noticing Shadow's posture. "They're just here to take us to him."

"Sonic the Hedgehog," one of the men spoke up in greeting, nodding towards the hedgehog. "Tails the Fox," he continued, also nodding towards the two-tailed fox. He noticed the black hedgehog standing among them and almost did a visible take.

"This is Shadow, a friend of ours," Sonic introduced quickly, picking up on the surprise.

"I see," the man recovered. "However, he will have to wait outside. The president will be meeting only the two of you."

Shadow's quills bristled at the insult. His eyes narrowed and the men took a half-step back almost unconsciously. Sonic grinned nervously and quickly intervened. "Ah, about that…you see, Shadow is…also a part of the meeting! His input is very necessary! Yes."

A panicked look briefly flashed across Tails' face, but he quickly hid it before it could be noticed. The men on the other hand looked somewhat surprised, but acquiesced to Sonic's words. "Very well then. If you would please follow us, we'll take you to the president."

As the group headed inside, Tails walked close to Sonic and Shadow. "Shadow, please, whatever happens, do not tell them about your pack," he hissed quietly, taking care not to mention the name 'Black Arms'. "The people related to your past – they will definitely be at this meeting. If they hear about your pack, they might try something against them."

A low growl rumbled at the back of Shadow's throat, threatening and alert. He hadn't been made aware of this until now. "Explain, fox."

"We will, we promise," Sonic whispered, hand reaching out and brushing briefly against Shadow's. "But not under enemy's eyes and ears."

At those words, Shadow forced himself to relax, the growl fading away. Despite the affront he felt for the situation and the impatience to have it explained, he could stand to wait. Especially if doing so meant his pack would be safe.

* * *

The man that greeted them led the way to the president's office while the rest of the men, six of them, made up the rear guard. As they entered the leader's lair, Shadow discreetly glanced around. The place wasn't quite bustling, but it wasn't inactive either.

There were other humans roaming about. All of them seemed sharp and commanding in their colors of black and white, though there was a clear difference he could see between the men that he knew to be the guards and the other men that seemed to be guests of the human's leader. There were also females, dressed differently with brighter colors but nonetheless carrying the same prideful aura.

And there were other humans that seemed subdued in comparison. They were moving about, cleaning the areas of the house. Among them, Shadow sensed a few that reminded him of camouflaging predators, pretending to be weaker and lesser than they really were. He could tell by the way some looked up and glanced at their group, revealing a flash of the wolf behind the disguise before the veil fell back down and they returned to appearing meek.

And finally, there was another entire faction. They all bore a similar symbol on some part of their clothes, a symbol that made Shadow's vision flash and his temples ache in warning. He avoided staring at that symbol directly, not wanting to show weakness by losing himself, but still keeping watch of the humans' movements.

To him, they seemed like the guards, yet there was something more. Something that hinted at blood and conflict. Some of the humans of that faction had confidence and pride that reeked of arrogance on some level. When they marched close to their group, Shadow could feel the urge to bare his teeth at them. That urge only increased when he noticed the dark looks the humans were shooting at not just him, but also at Sonic and Tails.

Sonic kept glancing at Shadow. As if finely tuned to his moods, the blue hedgehog could sense the tension rising whenever the GUN men came close. "Not all humans like mobians," Sonic whispered, making a step that appeared as casual as ever to stand closer to Tails, almost pushing him right between the blue hedgehog and Shadow. "It is now against the law to cause trouble over that, but as you can see…"

Shadow made a small nod in understanding. He also noticed the movement from Sonic and moved to accommodate the smaller fox.

Thankfully, the group soon reached their destination. The six men lined up uniformly on both sides of the hallway while the leading man knocked on the large doors at the end. There was a pause before a voice called out, "Enter."

The doors swung open and the man spoke, "Your guests have arrived, Mr. President." He stepped to the side to allow Sonic, Tails and Shadow into the room before making a step backwards, the doors closing behind him. As he did, the man that was inside the room, the president, looked up from his screen and took notice of the mobians.

"Sonic, Tails, good to see you," he greeted, before noticing Shadow. The only sign of surprise was the blink he gave in response. "And this is...?"

"Shadow," Shadow introduced himself, staring straight at the human before him. Despite the height difference, the president could not deny the commanding aura the hedgehog before him exuded. It was similar to the other countries' presidents, leaders in their own rights. Red searing eyes bore holes into his form before they relented and the president nodded in understanding.

"Yes, it is a pleasure to meet you, Shadow. As the President of this country, I welcome you." He turned to Sonic and Tails, both watching the exchange with wide eyes. "Would you all like to take a seat? This will be somewhat of a lengthy discussion," he spoke up, bringing their attention back to the present matter.

"It's alright prez, we're fine," Sonic replied with a shrug, Tails nodding in agreement with a grunt of assent from Shadow. "What's the important thing you wanted to talk to us about?"

The president stood up, folding his hands behind his back. With all the seriousness that the situation deserved, he said one name. "Doctor Eggman."

Shadow observed as the single name caused the two mobians to straighten up. It was subtle, but he knew what to look for, in the way the casual tilt of Sonic's head was gone, the way Tails' hands stopped fidgeting. The president tapped something on the blue screen and suddenly, the curtains of the large window behind him drew close and the room dimmed. The glowing screen then projected what appeared to be a video.

"A week ago, we were doing maintenance when our...technicians, discovered these video feeds. They were taken at different dates, through a time period within a month." The president pressed play and the video started. There was a blue flash and the president paused the video. He zoomed in, the tech helping to make the image clearer until there was something recognizable.

"Metal," Sonic said as he stared at the image of his robotic counterpart. Unlike some other versions, this Metal was without much change to his root design.

"Yes, Metal Sonic," the president agreed, closing the video. "He has been seen, and in places where his presence spells disaster for us. The locations of these feeds, all of them have one thing in common." He pulled up the list of locations. Two videos from Westopolis, one from Central City. "There was also mention of his sighting coming from my agents watching over Cryptic Castle and Iron Jungle."

"These locations, no..." Tails breathed out, eyes wide with realization.

"Dang it," Sonic cursed under his breath, realizing it the same minute as Tails did. "Eggman's after the Chaos Emeralds."

"And sad to say, but he has already obtained those that are in the mentioned locations," the president sighed, pulling out another window that showed an image of what appeared to be a display case with a round-cut gemstone in it. "We've discovered that the Chaos Emeralds have been replaced by fakes, the reason why we discovered the theft this late."

Eggman was being smart about this. Usually, he would have just busted into the museums and vaults without a care for being spotted. The scientist always had a flair of the dramatic and the theatrics. The fact that he was being this sneaky was concerning at least.

"Five Emeralds already..." Sonic muttered. "He's up to something alright. It'll be a race to get the other two Emeralds at this point."

"The other two Emeralds. We know the location of one. It is still in Westopolis; Metal Sonic hasn't obtained it yet," the president informed them, pulling up the image of a vault. "This is where the Green Chaos Emerald is. The other, the Red Chaos Emerald, we have no idea of its location. Our men are trying to locate it, but we haven't found it yet. The only thing we fear is that Eggman might have already obtained it."

"Six versus one, I don't like the odds of this," Tails murmured.

"Indeed," the president nodded solemnly as the projection disappeared and the curtains opened, allowing the room to brighten up. "Eggman is on the move. We'll be keeping our eyes open and our ears to the ground for any sign of his plan."

"We'll do the same as well," Tails nodded.

The president then sat back down at the desk. "With that settled, I would like to hear about your research of the island. Have you found anything noteworthy?"

"Not at all," Tails replied, the only sign of his anxiety in the way his tails twisted around themselves briefly before untangling quickly. To a stranger, it would probably look like a natural movement rather than a sign of anxiety. "There was a higher Chaos Energy level, but it seems no different from the Zones. In fact, I would say that despite the higher level of Chaos Energy, we saw no strange phenomenon. Not even Rings. If you wish to know the finer details, I have sent a report ahead."

"Ah yes," the president nodded. "That's good to hear. I'll be sending the report to Commander Tower as well." He then waved a hand, a gesture that prompted the security guards to open the door. "That will be all."

"Alright then! See you, prez," Sonic waved with a friendly grin before whirling around and just about marching outside, Tails and Shadow following close behind. It wasn't until the three reached the Tornado 2 and were out of nearby earshot that Sonic's friendly face disappeared. "This ain't good Tails."

"Which part? The part about Eggman already having five of seven Chaos Emeralds, or the part where Commander Tower, who is also the Commander of GUN, is apparently also involved in the investigation of Shadow's island?" Tails asked, too calmly to be natural even as his hands flew across the plane's control panel, starting up the propeller.

"Both," Sonic groaned, waving his hands about in frustration as the two hedgehogs boarded, Shadow taking the compartment while Sonic taking to stand on the wing of the Tornado 2. "Well, maybe the second one more than the first. Eggman is something we know how to handle despite the odds against us. But Commander Tower..."

"It might just be coincidence," Tails tried to go for an optimistic approach as the plane took off, rising into the sky before heading in the direction of the skyscrapers. "Just because GUN is involved..."

"Tails, this is just like in the movies," Sonic cut in while ignoring the look Tails gave him for referring to movies of all things. "GUN, the guys who seem to be behind every little thing involved in the ARK, is also involved in the island where Shadow, who is also highly involved in the ARK, happened to land at," the blue hedgehog pointed out. "Once is an accident, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action. And I'm starting to feel it might be enemy action."

"We won't know for sure until we find out what GUN is up to with concrete proof," Tails pushed back, emphasizing the last two words. "Right now, all we have is speculation. Wait until we find out what's really going on before pointing fingers."

"I believe Sonic has a point," Shadow interjected, getting tired of the two talking over his head (almost literally in this case). "GUN. I may not know the people personally, but there is something about them that sets me on edge." _'And it is not just because of how they look at us,'_ the black hedgehog thought to himself with a frown. ' _There's something about the symbol they wear that is oddly familiar. Whenever I think of it...'_

Shadow clenched his fist, even as his face went blank.

 _'I have the urge to tear their spines out and gut them open.'_

"In any case," Sonic spoke up, his words cutting through the slight red haze Shadow was seeing. "We'll agree to avoid GUN personnel. Right now, why don't we-?"

The question was cut off when an explosion rang out. Their heads whipped in its direction and spotted the column of smoke emerging from the center of the city. Small forms buzzed about, shooting beams of light that caused destruction wherever they landed.

"Ah, I guess we'll have to leave sightseeing for another time," Sonic sighed, stretching out his arms. A grin crept up on his face despite his words. "Looks like Eggman decided to show himself this time. Tails?"

"On it," the two-tailed fox nodded as he steered the plane towards the explosion.

* * *

 **Review Responses**

 **GuardianDragon98: Well, there's your answer!**

 **SharpDragonKlaw: Thanks for the review, and hope you and your loved ones are safe as well! And perhaps in the future, Shadow will have the chance to get better at cooking. In the meantime, Tails will just have to pray that he is 'conveniently missing' whenever Shadow cooked.**

* * *

 **Note that the 'technicians' the president referred to are hackers, white hat hackers. An open secret.**

 **So anyways, things are coming to a head. Our heroes are going to have to deal with two things at the same time; Shadow's past related to the ARK and GUN, and Eggman's master plan (coughEclipseCannoncough). How will they handle being pulled in two directions?**

 **Also, I made Sonic more paranoid than usual. While I was typing this chapter, I had half a mind to make him just happy-go-lucky, like saying how despite Eggman already having a headstart, that they could still turn the situation around, or perhaps Sonic not realizing the connection between GUN, Shadow and the island.**

 **It's the same thing for Tails. Despite his young age, I made him more in control of himself, the biggest example being how he easily lied to the president about there being nothing more to the island other than a slightly higher level of Chaos Energy. I tried to tone that down by giving Tails nervous traits, like the twisting tails, the somewhat long babble about there being no Rings or strange stuff happening, and just stopping his explanation and referring to the report he sent ahead. I imagine that if Tails didn't have to lie, he would babble, but it would be more of an excited babble than a nervous one. But in this case, he didn't want to give things away, so he just told the president 'Read the report, don't ask me!'**

 **And Shadow. I had thought of just leaving him behind, either back at Tails' house or at the Tornado 2 while only Sonic and Tails went ahead because he wouldn't have much he could speak of, but I don't think Shadow would be content with that. He would either have the mindset to go exploring on his own or just straight out come along with Sonic and Tails simply because he wanted to meet the humans' leader.**

 **So yes, this chapter was a doozy. Glad I'm done with it! What about your opinions? How do you think Sonic, Tails and Shadow should have reacted?**


	25. Chapter 22

**Chaos, I'm on a roll! Third chapter in a row, coming through!**

* * *

Chapter 22

Alarms rang out across Central City as police officers seemed to pour out from every nook and cranny. None of them were actively engaging the enemy robots to take them down though. Rather, they were concentrating to keeping the enemy corralled in a small area while another portion made quick work of evacuating the citizens.

"Officer Edward, we need more reinforcements at the Main Street!" a police woman shouted across the walkie talkie, one eye on the evacuating citizens, making sure the children in particular weren't left behind, while the other eye warily took in the failing barricade just a few meters away from her position. "Robots are starting to get through our barricade!"

"Where's Eggman?" another officer asked, wide eyes scanning the skies, almost shaking in his boots. The police woman almost snorted out loud. Clearly a rookie. "As a matter, where the heck are those GUN soldiers?!"

"No worries!"

A blue blur suddenly dropped down from the sky. In a matter of seconds, it took down all the robots that were starting to overcome the barricade before coming to a stop in front of the police woman. The citizens took a moment to recognize the voice and the blur before they cheered.

Sonic smirked reassuringly at them, the perfect picture of confidence and strength. He turned to the police woman, the smirk softening into a smile. "I'll take care of Eggman, Officer Azul."

Azul sighed in relief at the sight of the blue hedgehog. "Sonic. Glad to see you back." She then turned to the walkie talkie. "Everyone, the Blue Blur has arrived. Get to clearing out the battlefield. Make sure no civilians are in the area. Focus on the rescue aspect. And if GUN gets here, direct them to the battle site. Medics, get ready."

There was a confirmation across the communication while Sonic took off down the streets. It was easy to find Eggman; just follow the trail of emerging robots. Metal scraps and wires laid in his wake as he spin-dashed through his opponents. "Eggy~ Where are you~?" he sang while kicking off the head of one of the robots. "Come on, come on out wherever you are~"

And as if a part of a script, a maniacal laugh echoed from ahead. "Ohohohohoho! Looks like you've finally arrived at the party, Sonic!" Eggman leered from his Egg Mobile, two fingers stroking his carefully-groomed mustache. "Where have you been this month? Slacking off somewhere?"

"Actually, I was enjoying a rather wonderful vacation. You should have seen it, Eggman! Clear blue skies, white beaches, a lush tropical jungle, it was amazing! Not a single robot in sight, or a certain egg-shaped maniac if you know what I mean," Sonic replied with a fake longing sigh even as he nonchalantly destroyed another robot before it could start shooting its missiles (the poor buildings were already damaged enough and Sonic didn't want to risk the people being hurt by falling chunks of buildings). "You seemed to have gained some pounds by the way."

"Urgh!" Eggman growled, completely aggravated by the blue rat before him. Sonic had a habit of pushing every single one of his buttons. The fact that he did it with that smirk on his face and the ease of his motions, as if Eggman was barely a challenge, just served to push his anger a few levels higher. "You're going down Sonic! I swear it! Behold! The Eggsterminator!" He cackled with glee as he revealed his one of his greatest masterpieces.

The robot was a large towering giant, made entirely out of a silver-colored metal. The head was flat and wedge-shaped, with a red orb in the middle of its chest. Sonic merely yawned, not entirely impressed. Sure, the size was somewhat larger than Eggman's go-to robots, but the design was basically a robot mecha. It wasn't one of the crazier bots that were based off an animal or a particular object. "So, what's up with the size? Is it based off your ego, or your body size?"

Silence reigned. Then…

"…I'VE HAD IT! EGGSTERMINATOR! CRUSH THAT LITTLE INSECT!"

* * *

Eggman couldn't help a smirk as he watched the battle eagerly from up on high in his Egg Mobile. The Eggsterminator, despite Sonic's commentary that was _totally not true_ , was a deadly machine. For hidden inside its energy core, powering it, were the five Chaos Emeralds he stole right out from under everyone's noses!

Of course, it wouldn't be fun if the battle ended too quickly by using all five Chaos Emeralds at once, so he was doing a little experiment of sorts. Inwardly, he cackled at how Sonic would react if he knew just how much of an experimental rat he was in this situation. The blue hedgehog may think he was stringing Eggman along, but it was the mad genius himself that was making the hedgehog dance to his tune!

Either way, the Eggsterminator was currently running on the power of one Chaos Emerald. It was not fast enough to catch up to Sonic; it just gave the robot some enhanced durability. Eggman hit a button and had the robot draw power from another Chaos Emerald. With glee, he watched as the Eggsterminator was now able to detect Sonic's movements despite the blue hedgehog's speed. He pressed another button. Three Emeralds…

And Sonic went flying as the Eggsterminator landed a blow, catching him right in the gut.

"Ohohohoho!" he laughed, baring his teeth with how wide his grin was. "Three Chaos Emeralds. Not bad for a hedgehog, but not good enough!"

The Eggsterminator followed Sonic, readying another punch. Another explosion of dust and debris flew up from the impact. From then on, it was a high-speed battle. Despite the large size and small room space to maneuver, the Eggsterminator was doing quite well, easily catching up to the blue menace and landing blows. All the while, the spin-dashes were proving less effective, bouncing off the armor most of the time.

"Let's turn up the heat, shall we?" Eggman cackled to himself as he increased the power by another Chaos Emeralds. The Eggsterminator was faintly glowing red as it pushed and pushed Sonic into a shrinking corner.

 _'This ain't going so well for me…'_ Sonic thought to himself, his confident smile faltering as he placed all of his focus on simply being just a tad faster, just dodging blows and being agile enough that the Eggsterminator couldn't hit him. He was making use of the small narrow space (in comparison to the Eggsterminator at least) to dodge and attack.

Of course, the robot cared not an iota for collateral damage, but the buildings would still slow it down and provide cover (unless the robot decided to develop some sort of x-ray or heat-seeking vision, and that would be _bad_ ).

Sonic bounced off another building and curled up, ready for another spin-dash. His breath got punched out of his lungs in a silent gasp when the robot's hand shot up, colliding with his form and just about driving him down into the concrete below.

He did his best to remain in his curled form, knowing that if he ever uncurled, he would be exposing his softer underbelly and his lungs would get crushed. He strengthened his spines, hoping that would give him more protection from the force that was doing its best to crush him.

 _'Now how am I going to get out of this?'_ he thought, his mind running through some ideas before landing on one. He was still curled up. He could still spin-dash. He just needed to have more force and power than the robot…

A daunting task.

But heck if he wasn't going to try it!

However, it seemed that his plan wasn't needed.

"Chaos Spear!"

All parties were surprised when a bolt of golden energy impacted against the robot's arm, creating a sizable dent and the force pushing the Eggsterminator off balance for a precious handful of seconds. Sonic took that chance and sped out from underneath the hand. He retreated slightly, heading in the direction of the voice.

And there, landing onto the broken tarmac, was Shadow, his hand lowering from its position when shooting that Chaos Spear.

"Hedgehog," Shadow grunted, eyes scanning his blue counterpart's form. He took in the faint bruises peeking through the somewhat patchy-looking fur, the dust and dirt covering his form and the tired grin on his face. "The fox went to grab something. Told you to hold on for thirty minutes."

"Thirty eh?" Sonic asked, feeling a fire light up in his heart at the perceived challenged. It was going to be tough. Truthfully, he could barely keep up with the Eggsterminator. Just what the heck did Eggman power this robot up with? A steroid version of a power core? Still, as he stood next to Shadow, as the Eggsterminator loomed over them ahead as if an unsurmountable obstacle, he felt ready to throw down! No way was he giving up just because a robot was too hard to put down. With that, the two hedgehogs turned to face the Eggsterminator. Sonic grinned, the expression both amused and a declaration of war. "No problem!"

"Enough talk," Shadow huffed, his skates lighting up in fire. "Let's take this thing down."

"You betcha!"

In an unseen signal, the two hedgehogs shot forward, making a zig-zagged path towards the Eggsterminator. They made use of the buildings as cover and slowly closed in, making feints to further confuse the robot. Shadow, now that he knew just how fast Sonic could go, pushed more power into his skates. He could feel the barrier of air pushing against him. He knew that he could break it. But this wasn't quite the time, not when he hadn't yet found out how to control himself at that kind of speed.

So instead, when he managed to get close to his target, he used that force to curl up and land another blow, aiming right for the dent he made earlier with his Chaos Spear.

Sonic seemed to have the same idea as well, coming around from another corner to land his own attack. Two spin-dashes to the spot made the dent even bigger, but it was not enough to break it completely. The Eggsterminator also started moving. It would not allow the hedgehogs to get lucky enough to land the same blow again.

Too bad Shadow wasn't trying to do that. While Sonic bounced back, dodging the swing from the other arm, Shadow held on.

Claw-like nails found purchase on the steel surface. With inhumane strength, Shadow held on with one hand while the other moved back, glowing with Chaos Energy. It shot forward and dug deeply into the dent, the Chaos enhancement helping to cut through the metal with ease. Sparks fizzled out from the cut wires, bouncing off the dark pelt harmlessly.

The Eggsterminator tried to use its other arm to pry Shadow off, but Sonic was suddenly there, a blue flurry of spines that stopped the arm from easily getting to Shadow. And by the time the Eggsterminator batted Sonic away, it was too late as Shadow finished ripping the arm clean through. Shadow smirked toothily in victory as he jumped away, backing up to where Sonic was pushing himself up from where he landed.

"Awesome!" the blue hedgehog cheered when he noticed the damage Shadow had done to the robot. "One less limb to deal with!"

With renewed determination, Sonic seemed to draw upon another reserve of energy as he shot off towards the robot. Shadow followed close behind. The Eggsterminator also started moving, mostly in short bursts as the two opposing parties tried to be just a little faster than the other.

It was a hit and run for Sonic and Shadow; both did their best to distract the robot and whenever they saw an opportunity, they sought to attack, this time aiming for the legs. They kept low to the ground, barely leaping up so as to remain out of range of the robot's remaining arm.

The Eggsterminator did try its best to use its legs to kick the incoming hedgehogs, but it was horribly overbalanced. The loss of an arm also factored to that, the weight now unevenly distributed. Shadow's hand glowed and he swiped his hand across the right leg while Sonic kept the other leg occupied, keeping it corralled away from Shadow in a blue tornado.

Shadow then came in close, his hand forming his second Chaos Spear. With a roar, he forced it into the slashes. Like a bomb, it detonated, blowing apart the leg from the inside. While it was still attached to the body, it was unresponsive, the inner workings completely fried up from the Chaos Spear as they were not as durable as the armor.

Eggman's brow twitched at the sight of his robot being overwhelmed. "That's it! No more mister Nice Guy!" He pressed another button. Another Emerald was now actively charging the robot. The silver metal's red glow strengthened and the Eggsterminator started making a comeback. With its leg now out of commission, it was using its rocket boosters to get around. As such, the remaining arm and leg were free to attack. In quick succession, it landed a blow on the two hedgehogs.

"Ugh!" Shadow coughed out as he slammed painfully into the ground while Sonic went flying into a skyscraper, glass shattering in his wake.

The black hedgehog forced himself onto his feet. He looked up at the skyscraper where Sonic was thrown into, but saw no signs of the blue hedgehog. With a growl, the black hedgehog decided to take a chance and skated up the skyscraper. Unlike Sonic, he didn't have any traction with the surface of the building in which to help cling onto it. Instead, he had to pour more power into his skates to have enough force to keep him up. Thank Chaos for the professor's Chaos Inhibitors.

He was getting higher, until he was higher than the Eggsterminator. The robot also noticed him just then and Shadow reacted, leaping higher with his hand glowing. However, the familiar Chaos Spear didn't form. Rather, multiple projectiles of Chaos gathered around him. "Chaos Arrows!" With a wave of his hand, the arrow-shaped energy projectiles rained down on the robot, distracting it enough that Shadow could reach the broken opening where Sonic was.

Inside, he noticed that Sonic was slowly getting up. His front and arms got the brunt of the attack, small shards of glass clinging to his fur and digging into his skin to draw blood, while his back was thankfully protected by his quills. The blue hedgehog had a faint wince on his face as he shook out his quills, getting rid of the glass shards tangled in the blue spines. "This is nuts!" he groaned, moving over to peer down at the Eggsterminator that had just recovered from the Chaos Arrow barrage and was now coming after them. "What the heck did Eggman fuel this thing with? His robots aren't usually this tough to handle. Heck, it's taking…Chaos Energy…to beat it…"

"…I take it that's unusual?" Shadow asked as the two hedgehogs decided for a retreat, too hurried to feel any reluctance in the action.

"Not in this case," Sonic said with a grimace. "He's using the Chaos Emeralds to power that thing up. No wonder it's so strong. Can you sense where they might be?"

"Its head," Shadow replied immediately, having already sensed the power that was now as bright as a beacon across his senses. At first, he didn't take notice of it more than a small light. But now that he thought back, he remembered how the light grew. It wasn't in a uniform manner, but…it coincided with how the robot always seemed to get stronger even if they had been dominating the fight previously.

Sonic's grimace deepened as Shadow explained his thoughts. "Great. By this point, Eggman's probably using all five of them at once now. That thing is going to be tough to beat, especially since we don't have Power Rings or a Chaos Emerald of our own."

"I still have three more Chaos Spears left in me." Shadow stared at the head, where he could sense the Chaos Emeralds. "If I can get close enough to the head…"

"That's it!" Sonic's grimace shifted to a grin at the idea. "Its head! That'll be a hard spot for the robot to get to us. The only problem would be getting close enough without being batted away."

"Speed?"

Sonic frowned thoughtfully. He knew that he could go faster than this. Break the sound barrier and he might be able to move fast enough. He would have to place it right though, make sure the resulting burst of air hit the robot instead of the buildings. But it was Shadow who would be able to attack the head and break it open…

"Shads, how fast can you go?"

Shadow stared at Sonic, fire blazing in his red eyes and his chin tilted up in challenge. "As fast as you, hedgehog."

"Good," Sonic laughed, reaching over to grab Shadow's hand. "Then you better kick those skates into gear! And ready your Chaos Spears." That was all the warning the black hedgehog got before Sonic suddenly veered right, now running towards one of the less damaged skyscrapers. That move also placed the robot right behind them...

And in the path of the resulting sonic boom as Sonic broke the sound barrier.

The force at this close range was enormous and loud. It was only thanks to Shadow's enhanced body and that the black hedgehog could also achieve these speeds that his eardrums didn't burst. Still, it didn't stop the awe in his chest as in what seemed like a fraction of a second, the two hedgehogs were already at the apex of the jump off.

"Now!"

"Chaos Spear!"

The blinding gold spear of energy struck down like a lightning bolt, hitting its mark. The head dented. The two hedgehogs went for that opening and landed on the head. Here, the robot would have a hard time reaching with its arm.

Shadow growled as he gathered Chaos Energy in his hand. Once more, he tore into the metal while Sonic watched out for his back, hitting against the arm that kept swinging at them. Once Shadow felt that he had dug deep enough, he used the remaining Chaos Energy left for one Chaos Spear instead of two, turning the golden light into a deep red hue that was so bright at the core that it was white.

"Chaos…Lance!"

The attack hit home, but it also prematurely exploded. The force also sent the two hedgehogs off the head. Shadow groaned as he felt immensely drained, his body blocking him from accessing the remaining Chaos Energy left in order to use it to keep himself up and running.

Next to him, Sonic shakily got to his feet, slightly stunned by the sudden blast of Chaos Energy. "Did that do it?" he asked in a rushed daze, staring blearily at the Eggsterminator.

The dust slowly settled, and revealed that while Shadow did break open the head, he had not quite managed to disrupt the Chaos Emeralds. The black hedgehog growled in frustration at the failed attack. "Not quite."

"At least we have a chance now," Sonic pointed out, helping Shadow up onto his feet. "Now, we just need to get those Chaos Emeralds out of there, and the robot will shut down." The blue hedgehog frowned when he couldn't feel the slight buzz he always did whenever he made contact with Shadow. "You're almost out of juice…"

"If you're referring to my Chaos Energy, then yes. I won't be able to use any more Chaos attacks like that," Shadow huffed, taking a moment to gather his strength before standing on his own. "But I can still fight."

"Alright," Sonic agreed, knowing that Shadow would be too headstrong to think of taking a break. But the black hedgehog looked like he could use the rest, and Sonic rather a grumpy Shadow than one that got knocked out from the lack of Chaos Energy inside him. "Let's do a tag-team attack then," he suggested. "I'll go first. When I get tired out, we switch."

Before Shadow could say something in response (he knew what that hedgehog was really doing, and he wasn't _weak,_ for Chaos' sake!), Sonic was already running off, charging into the battlefield. The black hedgehog growled in frustration. Even when he was with his pack, he never liked standing on the sidelines while they did the work. At least, he ought to be doing something productive as well.

He tried to gather his Chaos Energy, frown deepening into a scowl when he realized that the energy his body allowed him to use was just enough to power his skates and nothing more than small enhancements here and there. But to heck if he was allowing that to stop him from fighting. He still had his strength and speed.

He took a look at the battle. It was going poorly on Sonic's end. The Eggsterminator, now fully on high alert and doing its best to stop Sonic from reaching its head again, was hyper-focused, its limbs coming up to strike at the blue hedgehog from whichever angle he chose to attack from. And Sonic was doing his best to just keep moving without getting hit, barred from reaching any closer due to the robot's remaining limbs. Without Shadow to help him, the robot could solely focus on Sonic.

 _'This tag team idea isn't going to work like this,'_ Sonic thought, regret somewhat clouding his mind as he dodged yet another uppercut from the robot. _'But Shadow needs the rest, and I need to buy some more time. How long has it been anyways?'_ He briefly abandoned his train of thought to focus on dodging a kick before taking the chance to climb up onto the robot. The Eggsterminator did its best to shake the stubborn hedgehog off, but Sonic was speeding up, forcing himself right up to the head.

However, the robot managed to outsmart Sonic. It raised its arm up, already waiting to grab the blue hedgehog just as he reached the head. He cried out in pain and surprise when metal fingers closed around his torso, holding him in a vice grip.

A blur of black and red shot up towards them, taking advantage of the arm that was now occupied. Shadow's visage was twisted in fury and rage as he slammed into the arm with all of his strength. The metal dented horribly under his anger and Sonic used the slight loosening of the fingers to wriggle madly and slip out of the robot's hold. Bracing himself against the robot's hand, he then leapt for the Chaos Emeralds.

"Oh no you don't!"

Eggman decided to intervene as he pressed a button and the Egg Mobile shot out missiles that sought out their target. Sonic managed to dodge a few, but one came unnerving close to his hand as he was reaching out and Shadow grabbed him by his scruff, pulling him away just in the nick of time. Another attack was foiled and they fell back onto the ground. The missiles also dove down, drawn to the hedgehogs.

But before they could reach their targets, another set of missiles shot out. The two sets collided and destroyed each other, throwing up a dust cloud.

Sonic and Shadow retreated further while Eggman spluttered. All eyes moved to where the missiles came from and landed on an approaching dot of blue and yellow. A faint noise of propellers spinning furiously grew louder, revealing itself to be the Tornado 2.

"Sonic! Shadow! Catch this quick!"

The plane swooped as low as it could to the ground and its two-tailed pilot threw two objects towards the hedgehogs. Sonic's grin was wide and relieved as he caught the Power Ring while Shadow caught the second object. Immediately, the black hedgehog felt a rush of energy flowing into him, red eyes wide in awe as they beheld the beautiful gemstone.

Vividly green and bright with energy, the sixth Chaos Emerald shone.

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 **And I'll have to stop here.**

 **Review Responses (as always, thank you for the reviews! Always love to hear your opinions!)**

 **GuardianDragon98: Sonic X is the most experience I have with the Sonic fandom, and in that anime, the humans did go through that mistrust concerning Sonic and his friends, so that probably spilled into the fanfic. I can't take 100% credit for that. And the reaction you are expecting...well, this is coming from me who had already wrote most of the next chapter, so all I can say is please do not get your hopes up. The reaction WILL happen, just not in the near future...and you'll see what I mean once I get around to updating.**

 **SharpDragonKlaw: The reaction you're waiting for is more of Shadow deciding to push the questions away for the moment in the heat of the fight, and focus more on defeating the enemy. Plus, he's pretty used to tech by now (he had to when he spent close proximity to Tails for a bit more than a month).**

* * *

 **Battle scenes. The bane of my existence. I prefer my scenes to be short and sweet, but Tails just had to take thirty minutes to get from Central City to Westopolis.**

 **The Eggsterminator is from Sonic X, Countdown to Chaos. It made such a brief appearance that I had to make up most of the knowledge. Plus, there are only five Chaos Emeralds in comparison to the six that the canon Eggsterminator had, so I decided to play around with it. Still, battle scenes...do not like. What about you guys? What do you think of battle scenes?**

 **Hope to see you in the next chapter.**


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